


Shadows of the Mind

by TimeLadyoftheSith



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Accidental Marriage Bond, Confessions, F/M, Fake Marriage, Imprisonment, Married (sort of) Smut, Memory Loss, Nightmares as Torture, Oncoming Storm Unleashed, Time Lord Handfasting Ceremony, mental manipulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-18 23:38:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11885262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeLadyoftheSith/pseuds/TimeLadyoftheSith
Summary: The Doctor awakens to find things are not what they seem. His mind says he ended the Time War just yesterday, but his body says this regeneration is nearly two years old. Why are his memories missing, where is he at, and who is this blonde human who is just as confused as him? All they know is that the clock is ticking, but what happens if they don't beat the countdown?





	1. Chapter 1

The ever present hum of the TARDIS missing from his mind brought the Doctor to consciousness. It wasn't a peaceful drift back either. It was the violent jerk one gets when they fall in their sleep. He twisted onto his side, coughing hard as his respiratory system reflexively tried to purge itself of some unwanted chemical. Judging by the bitter taste and the way his mind felt sluggish, it was some sort of neural suppressant. His two livers and four kidneys were in overdrive with an attempt to filter his blood, and they ached and burned like nothing he'd felt outside of regeneration.

His vision was hazy, another side effect of whatever he had been gassed with, and the room was coming back into focus very slowly, as he retched and coughed. He squeezed them shut, trying to calm the dizziness in his mind. As the cotton in his brain faded away, the Doctor tried to recall what had happened. The last thing he remembered was standing at the console as regeneration started. The regeneration that had been brought on by destroying Gallifrey and the Daleks. Pain shot through him, heavy and sharp with guilt and despair, forcing everything into focus inside of him.

Slowly, he opened his eyes again, unsure of what was to greet him. He wasn't in the TARDIS, that much he knew before his eyelids even moved. When the Doctor finally did look, he was surprised to find himself staring at the softly glowing white walls of his bedroom in the Capitol. This was impossible, because he'd watched in horror as Daleks had destroyed it. Or had he? Nothing made sense.

As he reached out to touch the smooth surface, something drew his attention behind him. It was the soft even breathing of another person, coupled with the delicate fragrance of sweet pea blossom perfume. The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat as his mind grabbed for an explanation. There was only one other Time Lord or Lady that would ever wear perfume from Earth. "Susan?" He gasped, his voice was hoarse and his throat ached. Perhaps it had all been a dream, everything from the time he'd led His granddaughter down to the TARDIS until now. Maybe all of those things, those adventures, and even the war had been one long drug induced dream.

He tried to roll over, but his body protested severely. It felt like he had been beaten severely, but he pushed the pain aside. If it had been a dream, then she wouldn't respond to her name from it. "Arkytior?!" He gasped her birth name, coughing as his eyes narrowed in on the figure in bed behind him.

It wasn't his granddaughter. Whoever she was, the young blonde woman laying supine beside him, she was totally human. He jerked up, groaning and fighting back nausea as he tried to stay upright. This was impossible. Humans weren't allowed on Gallifrey, how could she be here? Did he bring her here? Is that why he'd been drugged and beaten?

The woman stirred, her head turning on the pillow beneath her dyed blonde hair, and when the strands fell away, there was something familiar in the structure of her face. A portion of his dream, or maybe not a dream, slapped into him. Her eyes would be an amber hazel, the exact color of clover honey raw and dripping from the comb. He knew that without a doubt. Those eyes were what started his regeneration in his dream. That dream was slowly fading away though, like dreams always did.

The Doctor broke away from her face to look around his bedroom. Was it really his room? Something was off, something that was nagging away at his mind. Rather, the absence of something nagging at his mind was off. If he were in the Captiol, the heart and soul of Gallifrey, he should be able to sense every Time Lord and Lady in this tower. Yet, his telepathy was silent except for the low fluctuations of the human slumbering beside him.

He eased off the bed, his gaze bouncing from wall to wall. Everything was too perfect, too precise to be true. Everything except a spot on the wall by the door. There should be a scanner on the wall beside the door, designed to read his third helix as a key. Instead, there was a standard number pad. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, moving closer to look at it. He drew a sharp breath, analyzing the air around it. No Gallifryean, Time Lord or otherwise, had touched it. There was, instead, a heady musk covering the metal buttons. That settled it. He was not on Gallifrey, and he had definitely not been dreaming.

A low, painful groan drew his attention back to the bed. The human woman was twitching, and it was a groan no doctor could mistake. His gaze landed on the rubbish bin he always kept near the bed, and he snatched it in hand as she rolled over, eyes still closed, and vomited a frothy yellow substance into the empty interior. She gave a sob, clutching at the sheets beneath her hand, and purged her stomach further. "Where 'm I?" She gasped, her accent giving her away as a Londoner, as she yanked the bin from his hands and slid to the floor.

"Shhhh." The Doctor's felt his hand reach out, almost instinctively to tuck the strand of hair, on the left side of her head, more securely behind her ear. He stopped himself though, unsure of why he knew it was going to fall loose, but it did.

"Who the hell are you?!" Her eyes finally met his, and just as the Doctor had known, they were that enchanting color of honey, only now they were watery with fear and pain. Before he could answer, she gave violent dry heave that made her whole body spasm.

"I'm the Doctor." Suddenly his own voice registered in his ears. It wasn't the posh gravel of his war torn body. It was a brusque bite of Northern England. His eyes took in the skin on his hands, and the papery thin wrinkles etched into them by years of war were gone. They were a bit rough, similar to that of a human in their late thirties or early forties, sticking out from cuffs of a leather jacket.

The woman sagged back against the bed, holding her head with one hand, and gripping the pink shirt tucked under a jean jacket with the other. Definitely from the twenty-first century then. Her fingers went slack again, and her head lolled to the side. As gently as he could, the Doctor lifted her back onto the bed, and pressed his palm against her forehead. She wasn't running a fever, but she was dry to the touch, and her pulse rate was severely elevated. She needed hydration, he could tell that without having to think too hard.

Leaving her there, he crossed the room to the door that should have lead to the ensuite of his room. He pushed the panel that would expose it, and held his breath. It wasn't really his room, but hopefully this replica was as close to it as possible. Breathing a sigh of relief, it opened. Yet, it wasn't the ensuite to his room. It was a tiny bathroom more akin to an estate flat in London. There was an abundance of makeup over the counter, a hair dryer, a flat iron, and two razors. One was pink and one was teal. A plastic cup designed with the letter R among hand painted seashells sat by the sink, and the mirror above stuck out like a medicine cabinet.

The Doctor pulled it open, and sure enough there was an array of twenty-first century over the counter medications, a can of women's shave gel, and what looked like a round plastic container housing oral contraceptives. The name on the label, however, was unreadable. He could see the letters there, but when he focused, they blurred together into a smudge. He pushed that out of his mind and snagged a bottle of paracetamol. Then he filled the glass with water, and dampened a brown flannel he found in a drawer.

Going back out to the bedroom, he knelt beside the bed and pressed the rag to her forehead. The woman moaned and raised a soft hand to cover his. Then she jerked, her eyes blazing open. "What the hell!?" She pushed back across the bed, looking quite like a cornered rabbit, and stared at him.

"'M not gonna hurt you." The Doctor drew a breath and held up his hands to show her the water filled glass and bottle of medicine. "You're dehydrated, and I bet your head is pounding." Hers had to be. There was no way a human would be able to filter out whatever toxin they had been hit with like he could have. His body aches had subsided, but he knew she had to be feeling it.

"Screw you mate!" She hissed, pressing her back against the wall. Her eyes were darting from his face and around the room. It was easy to see she was trying to find a way out. "Let me out of here!"

"Believe me. I'd love nothing more than to get out of here m'self." The Doctor gave a sigh and extended the glass and bottle to her slowly. "But, between you and me, I have no idea where here is." Seeing that she was not going to take them from him, he sat the water and medication down on the vine decorated side table and stepped back from the bed.

"Hang on." The woman gasped, scooting forward across the bed to pick up the glass. "This is my rinse cup. Where'd you get this? Who are you?" Her eyes flashed from the drink in her fingers to him.

"I told you. I'm the Doctor." He shrugged. What else was there to say to that. "As for the cup, it was in the bathroom." He pointed to the still open panel behind her. "Which I'm assuming is yours, as I don't use pink razors or flat irons."

The woman gave him a skeptical look but peeked over her shoulder into the room. "What the-" she spun back around, swaying on the spot and clutching her stomach. "Is this some sort of trick?!"

"You tell me." The Doctor turned to the curtained window beside him. A thought suddenly coming to mind. He yanked back the heavy drapes, but instead of being greeted by the domed skyline of the Capitol, or the busy streets of London, there was nothing but a solid wall. "Because, I have no idea who you are, where we are, or why we're here." It was becoming rather irritating now. Clearly wherever here was had somehow delved into their memories, and the idea that someone had been rummaging through his mind, much less this human's was enough to make him see red.

When he turned, the woman was finally shaking out two small tablets into her hand and tossing them into her mouth. She took a sip of the water and then paused before gulping it down hungrily. "So, Miss." the Doctor let the curtains fall back into place. "Are you going to tell me your name?"

The woman took a deep breath and let it blow out as she set the glass down. "It's Rose, Rose Tyler." She looked him over, from head to foot. "Are you gonna tell me yours now? Doctor Who?"

There it was, that three syllable phrase that always made them follow along. "Just, the Doctor." He replied, fighting to keep a smirk from twisting up his lips.

"Nobody is jus' called 'the Doctor'." Rose air quoted his name with both hands. "Unless they're a hit man or a spy or something. Is that it then? You kidnapped me?"

"'M not the one who kidnapped you, Rose." He pushed away from the wall, as a flash of green from a frame on the wall caught his eye. The frame was empty, but it should have held a picture of his first body holding Susan on her first birthday. He reached out to touch it, but when his finger made contact it disappeared. He narrowed his eyes at the spot, and sure enough there was a nearly invisible lens. "But I think whoever did take us is watching." He tapped the spot. "Look, a camera."

Rose's swallow was audible, as she inched closer and peeked to where he was pointing. "But why? Why me? 'M just a shop girl. My mum can't afford a ransom."

"I don't know." He let his finger fall away, and he darted his eyes around the room. The Doctor knew that couldn't be the only camera. "There's nobody to pay a ransom for me either." He gave a sarcastic snort. "But I can think of more than one person who'd want me dead."

"Well that's comforting." Rose took a step back from him, and crossed her arms with a snort. "This is barmy." She was trying to act tough, he could tell, but the pheromones of fear were tangible in the soft brush of the air on his lips. "If they want you dead, why take me?" Her fingers went up, out of a nervous habit he guessed, to clutch at a silver chain on her neck.

The Doctor felt his eyes drawn to the movement. Her fingers pulled the chain free, exposing a key. The key was identical to the one he knew was in his pants pocket. "Where'd you get that?" He gasped, reaching out to wrap his fingers around it.

"I don't know?!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock as she ripped the chain up over her head and jerked back to let it dangle warmly from his fingers. " 've never seen it before in my life. I didn't even know it was there!"

The Doctor felt his stomach clench, as he stared at it. Not even thinking, he grabbed her by the upper arms and looked down into her eyes, fear coursing through his veins. He ran a quick calculation on his body, and assuming this regeneration was directly after the War, it had been less than two years. "What's the last thing you remember?!"

"I.. I dunno." Rose stuttered, trying to pull away. She shook her head wildly, and the Doctor could taste the panic rolling off of her.

"Think Rose!" He gave her a gentle shake, not enough to hurt her, but enough to make her concentrate.

"The manager asking me to run the lottery money down to Wilson!" She gasped, tears of confusion forming in her eyes. "That's it I swear!"

"Damn it!" The Doctor let her go, spinning around. "I can't remember anything either. Two years worth of black in this stupid mind." He pressed his fists against his temples and growled.

"How do you know it's been two years?" Rose was backing away from him now, he could hear her trainers on the floor.

"I just do, all right!" He had to keep himself from shouting. It wouldn't do to scare her. Obviously they were traveling together, but he couldn't remember anything about it. A crash drew his attention around.

Rose had stumbled back into the side table, and the glow orb there, identical to the ones in the ceiling, had fallen to the floor and shattered. Settled among the broken shards was a small strip of paper. Before he could grab it, she lifted it up and read it out loud. "The clock is ticking. Don't delay. To move forward, you must remember the day." She gave a snort. "What does that even mean?"

The Doctor took the paper from her hand and reread the lines. Remember what day? The Day he killed them all? No, that couldn't be it. The key in his hand bit into his fingers, and a cautious idea took hold. "Rose?" He murmured, looking up at her to where she was staring at him. "What day was it you took the lottery money to Wilson?"

"Today." Rose snorted. The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her as if to ask the dats. "March twenty-sixth."

He turned to the keypad on the wall. This had to be the passcode. He punched in the numbers, but they were short by two. "I need the year." He looked back over her shoulder.

"Blimey, you really don't remember?" Rose gave a short laugh that made his stomach unclench just a tad. "Two thousand and five."

The Doctor keyed in the numbers, and the pad lit green. Slowly the door hissed open to reveal a dimly lit hall. "Gotcha." He gave a triumphant laugh, and turned to her. "Stay here, let me check what's ahead.

"Screw that!" Rose threw her hands up and shoved past him. The Doctor tried to stop her, but she was quick. "I'm out of here!"

He followed after her, tasting the air. It was damp, heavily sanitized, and held a hint of dwarf star metal. They were definitely in a prison of some sort, but where? He flicked his eyes back forward, but Rose was gone. The hallway came to an abrupt left turn, and her perfume was fading in a trail. The Doctor followed after her, and as he took the turn, he found himself in a kitchen.

Rose was staring ravenously at the food laden table before her, reaching out to grab a chicken leg from a plate. "Don't eat that!" The Doctor tried to grab the food from her, only to be rewarded with a slap to his face that made his head ring. Before he could stop her, she met his eyes and took a defiant bite. He held his breath, and waited for the worst.


	2. Chapter 2

She had to act in tough, that much Rose knew. Whoever this "Doctor" was, she could tell immediately that he was not a coward. If she wanted to make sure he didn't pull one over on her, she needed to make sure she wasn't giving in to his game. That's what her brain was trying to convince her of, anyways, but there was this spot in her chest that said she should trust him. She shoved that aside as she chewed the meat in her mouth.

She knew the food was safe, because this was her Grandma Prentice's kitchen. Just like the bathroom had held her drinking glass and medicine, this kitchen was for her. The only issue was that the chicken was decidedly not chicken, and the seasoning was nothing like her grandmum's style.

Rose swallowed the food and looked down at the remainder of the drumstick in her head. "You feel all right?" That northern burr from the Doctor was concerned, not out of any particular affection, she knew, but more out of self-preservation.

"Yeah." Rose cleared her throat and turned the bone in her head. "This isn't chicken." She advised him. "It's good though." She took another bite to settle the smidgeon of nausea still in her gut. The food felt good, warming her stomach from the inside and easing the trembling in her limbs.

She wasn't sure where she was, but one thing was for certain, she had been drugged, possibly beaten, and her mind was terrifyingly blank. Still, she was going to get out of this place. Rose may not have finished her A-levels, have a dead end job, and be just another girl from the estates, but she was a fighter, a survivor.

"Taste and smell." The Doctor's voice drew her gaze back to him. He was bent over the table, sniffing the food. Now that Rose was looking, not all of the plates and bowls held fruit she was familiar with. There was some sort of tear shaped purple fruit with golden splotches. He had one in hand and took a bite, tilting his head in a contemplative way. "The two things." He continued between chews. "That cannot be replicated in dreams or taken from memories are taste and smell." He swallowed, and shifted the fruit. "'S why food replicators are so difficult to get right."

"What are you on about?" Rose finished her drumstick and grabbed for one of the fruits he was eating, but his hand stopped her. "What? I want one."

"Traberian Dew Drops aren't compatible with human digestion." He said simply, but he guided her hand over to a pile of what looked like bananas. "Villangardian bananas, however, are perfectly safe."

Rose snorted and grabbed for the fruit again. "You're eating it." She shot back, and his Icy eyes sparkled in amusement. His strong hand closed delicately around her wrist again. This time pulling her a bit closer to him.

"I'm not human." The Doctor chuckled. It was the first time he'd laughed, and it was a warm thing that made her chest loosen instinctively. What did he mean 'not human'? He looked human, felt human, and sounded human.

Except, that he didn't feel human actually. Something had been off about him before, but Rose had missed it. The Doctor's skin was cool on hers, abnormally so, and yet her body seemed so accustomed to it that it had taken this long to register. "What do you mean, not human?" She jerked her hand back. "Why are your hands so cold?" His eyebrow was arching, and suddenly the bits and pieces she had experienced so far clicked into place.

She had been taken, drugged, rough handled, and was somewhere her mobile didn't even register signal (she'd checked as soon as she entered the kitchen), and this man had known she was human but he wasn't. "Oh my God." Rose covered her mouth, and flicked her eyes over him again. "Are you an alien?"

The Doctor laughed fully this time, his lips spreading wide enough to make his ears raise up, and eyes crinkle attractively in the corners. "To me, you're the alien."

"Did you abduct me?" Rose backed away from him, pulling a chair between them. This didn't make any sense. Why her? The Doctor's smile fell, his eyes growing immeasurably sad.

"No." He said simply, shaking his head. "I don't abduct people. Though, sometimes I do travel with humans." The Doctor ran a hand through his close cropped hair. "More than one human has accompanied me in the TARDIS."

"What's a TARDIS?" Rose knew her voice was trembling, and she swallowed to keep it steady. "That your spaceship?"

"Yes." He said simply, And suddenly he was patting his pocket. "They took my sonic!" He exclaimed, thrusting his arm so deep into his leather coat pocket that it disappeared to the bicep. "They completely cleaned out my pockets!"

"They didn't clean out mine." Rose pulled her useless mobile from her jeans and waved it. The Doctor held out a hand, and she reluctantly passed it to him.

Her stomach growled, and she turned her attention back to the table. She was still hungry, although scared. She eyed what looked like some bread, and took a slice. "This safe?" She queried, and his glacial eyes flicked up long enough for him to nod. So she took a bite. It looked like nut bread, but was sweeter and heavier.

Something was still off, nagging at her mind to realize it. She had just been at work. She knew it. She could picture the bag of lottery money in her hand. Yet, still there was something. A realization hit her, and she tossed the bread down. "I'll be right back." Rose dashed back into the hall, to the room, and into the bathroom that looked identical to hers at home. She undid her belt, pulled down her pants, and gave a fearful jerk. No, it wasn't possible, still it was.

She had started her cycle on her lunch break that day. She'd had to ask Anna for a panty-liner because she'd forgotten to put some in her purse. Yet, there was no panty liner, no signs of bleeding, not even the smallest sensation of cramping or bloating.

"Rose." The Doctor knocked on the door frame. "Everything all right?"

"No!" She yanked her pants back up and buckled her belt. "You said two years." Rose burst back into the room. "You said your last memory was from two years ago?" He nodded. "Well, I can guess mine has been at least a week."

"How do you-"

The Doctor started, but Rose cut him off. "I just know, okay." She pushed past him back out into the bedroom. "Why us?" She looked around the room, taking in the strange decor. If the bathroom and kitchen were based on her, then the bedroom had to be his.

"I don't know." The Doctor shrugged and held out her mobile. "But I think we were together when we were taken."

Rose took the small phone and looked down at the screen. There he was, standing in front of some fountain shooting purple water into the sky, and a woman was tucked cheerfully under his arm. They were staring at each other, wearing broad smiles that anybody could see was adoration. The woman was her. She couldn't remember this moment, and apparently neither could the Doctor.

"Doctor." Rose looked up at him again. His eyes were searching her face, as if trying to force himself to remember everything. "What are we going to do?" She asked, tucking the phone back into her pocket and crossing her arms.

The Doctor looked around the room before furrowing his brow. "We're going to find a way out. But first things first." He turned fully to her, towering over her in a way that didn't make her feel small or intimidated, but more like she was being protected. "When you're with me, there are rules." He held up a finger. "Rule one, Don't wander off." Rose nodded. Not that there was anywhere for her to wander exactly. "Rule Two, Don't eat or drink anything until I tell you it's safe." This time she rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Rule three, well there is no three that I can think of."

Rose pushed past him, "well I'm still hungry, so come tell me what's safe." The Doctor let her walk into the hall first, but quickly joined her at her side. Their hands brushed together, and she had the sudden urge to take his. It seemed her fingers remembered a habit she couldn't recall forming. Judging by the way his brown furrowed again, and his hand twitched, he was having the same inner struggle.

When they reached the kitchen this time, the Doctor went about sorting the food. Those that were safe for her were left on the table, but those that were unsuited for her digestion were set aside on a counter. That didn't stop the Doctor from snagging a bite or two from those containers.

"What planet are you from?" She was curious, after all it wasn't every day someone got to meet an alien. Well, except apparently this was the second time they had met. It bugged her to see proof that she knew him, possibly even liked him, but couldn't remember anything about him.

"Gallifrey." The Doctor was opening cabinets, looking into jars, and opening boxes. "You wouldn't have ever heard of it."

The name of the planet settled on her mind, achingly familiar but all together brand new. "Mine's called Earth." She offered amicably. So far this Doctor had been nothing but kind to her, and until she knew if he was really behind all this she wanted to make him think they were on even terms.

"Yep. London, England." The Doctor replied to her over his shoulder. He was currently digging in the refrigerator. "Born in the twentieth century, I'm guessing, but your clothes." He paused to sniff what looked like blue milk before putting it back. "But your clothes and mobile say twenty-first when you left."

Rose almost choked on the yellow slice of fruit she was chewing. "How'd you know that? About my clothes I mean."

"'M not just a space traveler." He was staring at a shelf of dishes that was against the far wall. "My people." He grunted as he dropped to his belly to reach under the shelf. "Also travel in time." He gave a shout of victory and pulled out a box. "Gotcha!"

Time travel? Seriously? Rose was gobsmacked. First alien abductions and now time travel. This was insane. "How'dya mean time travel." She pushed her plate aside as he slammed the box down and began fiddling with the combination dial on the clasp.

"Just what I said." The Doctor made a face at the lock and flicked the dials some more. "Time and Relative Dimension in Space. TARDIS, that's what my ship does." The lock gave a whir and mist began seeping from the crease. "Damn it! Rose cover your mouth!"

Rose snagged a napkin from the table and pressed it over her nose and lips. The Doctor grabbed her by the arm and pushed her to the floor. Then he dashed to the hood over the stove and flipped on a fan. She stayed on the floor, watching as the mist was sucked across the room and out of sight. Once it seemed safe, he turned the fan off and helped her to her feet. Rose grabbed his arm as he staggered dangerously on his feet. "What was that?" She glanced at the box as she helped him into a chair.

"Dunno." He coughed. "Gimme a mo' to filter it from my lungs." Rose couldn't stop herself from rubbing the leather clad back, as the Doctor's eyes drifted terrifyingly closed for a moment. Then he coughed again, goldish mist trickling into the air. "Better, thanks." He gave her a soft smile and turned back to the box. "So no guessing then. That means we have to find the combination."

"But where?" Rose looked around at the disheveled counters. If her grandmum ever saw the kitchen in such a state, she'd have a cow. The Doctor tried to stand, but he swayed on his feet before settling back into his chair. "Don't move, I'll look." The Doctor gave her a disgruntled look, but closed his eyes and began rubbing his temples.

She took up the search herself, going back over everything he had checked. Everything she touched, opened, and rummaged through turned up nothing. She stared at the contents of the refrigerator, drawing in a heavy breath. There were two cartons of eggs, and the way he had stacked them, one was teetering dangerously close to fall. Rose picked it up to move it, but let out her breath as it rattled. She pulled open the top, but it was full of plain eggs.

Gingerly, she plucked one from the container, and it was light in her fingers, as if empty. "No." She gasped, snatching up another, and another, until one rattled. "Ah ha!" Rose closed it in her fists, letting the egg crack. Instead of yolk, what looked like a thin silver thumbdrive tumbled to the floor. She bent to scoop it up. "Doctor, was that a computer on the desk in that bedroom?"

"Wha'?" His blue eyes fell on her fingers and he surged to his feet. "You're brilliant!" His face split into the broadest smile, and he grabbed her other hand. "Come on."

Rose gave a yelp of surprise as he pulled her into a sprint to the hall. They raced to the bedroom, and he half tripped to slide into the chair at the desk. There was a small screen showing strange symbols on the desk, and the Doctor held out his hand for the thumb drive. She passed it to him, and he slid it into a slot on the cool surface. Then his fingers flew across the screen.

An image appeared, an older man in flowing red robes with his arm around a woman about her age in the same style garments. There were similarities in their features, and it was easy to see they were related, perhaps a grandfather and granddaughter. Before she could ask, the Doctor pressed a symbol and a video came to life.

There was a handsome man, with a strong jaw, perfect teeth, and shiny hair. His eyes, however, were full of dread. When he spoke it was with a frantic American accent.

"Doctor, Rose, listen." The man winced as what looked like a gun was shoved against his head. As he shifted, a silver key on a chain hung in front of his shirt. "I don't know what you did to piss these people off, but it's serious. They've taken you both, and I don't know where. They told me I could give you a message, because you would only trust it from me."

Rose found her hand suddenly seeking purchase on the Doctor's shoulder, and his larger one covered hers. The coolness was still so foreign, but her body instantly calmed at the touch. It was a strange thing, her body finding comfort in a touch she didn't know.

"They've taken your memories. I don't know how, especially yours Doctor. You have exactly ninety-six Earth hours until it becomes permanent." The Doctor stiffened under Rose's hand, and she felt her own body begin to tremble. This couldn't be happening to her. "I have no idea how long it will take you to find this message, hopefully not too long. They said the gas would take about an hour to wear off. I can give you one hint, just one. It's Volcano Day." A butt of a rifle slammed into the man's head, and the screen went blank.

"I hope he's okay." Rose gasped as the screen went blank. "What did he mean by volcano day?"

The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly, and leaned back in the chair. "I dunno, but did you see his wrist?" Rose nodded. She had noticed the heavy leather around the man's arm, almost like a wrist watch but far larger. "That's a vortex manipulator. Cheap and nasty time travel that is." He pushed back from the desk and rubbed his head. "He's a Time Agent, which is odd because I normally avoid them."

"Do you think he can be trusted?" Rose queried, leaning against the desk, and suddenly her fingers flew to her neck. "He was wearing a key like mine!" She gasped. "The one you took."

The Doctor nodded. "TARDIS key." He stood up and held out his hand. "Only people I trust with my life get one." The weight of those words settled onto Rose's shoulders. This man, this impossible, alien man had trusted her with his life at some point. Now they were stuck together, and another strange man was possibly being tortured because of them. "Walk with me."

Rose slipped her fingers into his, and again her fear subsided noticeably. The Doctor also seemed to relax at the contact. The empty spaces in her mind were beginning to become more depressing than terrifying. How much was missing from her life? If they failed, would they keep them here or send her home? She knew one thing, they couldn't do it without each other. She was about to speak when the Doctor did first.

"Major volcano eruptions from Earth History." He was looking down at her with a curious smile. "Name a few for me."

Rose chewed her lip, trying to recall the science classes she had never finished. "Krakatoa." She offered. He nodded, as they turned left to the kitchen. "Pelée, ummm Vesuvius?" His ryes lit up in excitement.

"Of course!" Once in the kitchen, the Doctor dropped her hand and fiddled with the lock there were too many digits to be the date, but in a moment, the clasp popped open.

"How'd you do that?!" Rose leaned forward to look at the numbers: twenty-one, five, nineteen. "Hang on. The letters are the numbers?" She grinned as he pushed the lid up.

"Very good!" The Doctor grinned and began pulling objects out of the box. There was a thin cylinder with a switch, a few bumps, and a blue light. It whirred as he picked it up, shining at the temp. "Fantastic!" He waved it in front of her face, like a kid at Christmas. "Guess what, Rose?"

His smile was infectious, and she was unable to fight back one of her own. "Tell me, Doctor!"

 

She gasped as he pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the top of her head. "This is exactly what we needed."

Warmth spread along her scalp at the sensation, but her body froze as she realized he had two hearts instead of one. They were thudding against her cheek. The Doctor really was an alien, but Rose found she didn't mind one bit.


	3. Chapter 3

Now that the Doctor had his sonic and the message from this mysterious man, he knew two things: they were already down four and a half hours of their time, and the wellbeing of two individuals besides himself were at stake. Nothing motivated him quite like saving other people. Using the sonic, he had begun examining every square inch of the rooms they had already uncovered. He had tasked Rose with locating anything that could be used as supplies if they found a way out or another room. She was organizing them in the kitchen on the table in orders of critically essential to comfort items.

The Doctor began scanning the roof of the hall, as he considered the blonde human woman. His body seemed to recognize hers, every touch, brush, smile, or sound she made elicited emotions that he had not felt since the war began. There were so many thoughts in his mind, as he moved to the next tile. How old was she, really? How had they first met? What had she done to make him ask her to come along? How much had he told her about himself? How long had she been with him? It had definitely been quite some time, because he had thumbed through her mobile again for clues, and found numerous pictures of them together, him alone bent over the console brow furrowed in thought, and him with her and the other man.

One thing was instantly noticeable in every picture they shared together, and it made him more anxious. He was touching her in some way shape or form, often with a smile that told him that he had been beyond wrapped around her little finger. The way she smiled at him, and not the handsome man from the video, made it clear as day that she reciprocated his feelings. However, now was not the time or place to try to think about what they were before today. He needed to focus on getting them out before their memories were completely gone.

The roof sloped infinitesimally as it reached the wall opposite of the turn to the kitchen. Something was up there, he knew it, but he couldn't get the sonic close enough to reach. "Rose!" He called over his shoulder. "Can you come here a sec?" He smelled her perfume before she spoke, and the aroma made his body temperature instinctively elevate just a bit. The more time they spent together, the more intensely his body reacted to her nearness.

"Whatcha need, Doctor?" She was winding up what looked like the cords from the curtain on the walled in kitchen window into a deft bundle. "Find somethin?"

"Yeah, but I can't reach." He pointed up to the tile that was about a hands distant away from the end of his sonic. "See if you can from my shoulders." He crouched down on one knee, tilting his head forward so she could climb up. His companion, if he could even call her that anymore, hesitated.

"'M too heavy." Rose protested. "Let me get a chair." She made to turn, but he lightly grabbed her hand to stop her.

Heavy? The girl looked fit, she had obviously been with him long enough for the running to tone her legs and rear up quite a bit. Not that he had been looking all that intently, but he had allowed himself enough of a check to be considered healthy and not near inappropriate. "Nonsense." The Doctor shook his head and chuckled. "Up you get." He patted his shoulder with his free hand, and Rose gave a resigned sigh.

She set her bundle of cord down, and , displaying a shocking amount of flexibility, climbed onto his shoulders with ease, and locked her ankles behind his back. He held her thighs to steady them both, and raised up. Rose didn't even wobble. "Am I too heavy?"

He was right, she wasn't heavy in the least bit, but he was physically superior to humans in strength. "Light as a feather." The Doctor chuckled, as she snorted and adjusted her seat on his body. "Superior physiology, me."

"Riiiiight." Rose chuckled and stuck a hand into view. "Gimme the sonic thingie." She huffed, and he tapped it against her thigh where it was in his fingers. She slipped it out of his grip.

"Screwdriver." The Doctor didn't say it in a chastising way. He had already learned that she didn't appreciate being talked down to or criticized. Rose was feisty and stood her ground, a quality that he admired immensely. She was also quite a logical thinker, and it was that quality that made him think he asked her along in the first place. "Push the first button, slide the switch down, and twist the black knob on the bottom. "

There was the sound of the sonic whirring, and finally a click and shifting of metal on metal. The Doctor tried to look up, but he couldn't without throwing her off balance. "There's a hatch of some sort here. Give me a boost." Rose instructed him, unlocking her ankles from around his ribs to lift one leg. "Don't let me fall, Doctor." She gasped as she slid dangerously to the side.

The Doctor grabbed her ankles, pushing her pink and white trainer clad feet up to his shoulders to stand. "Never." The syllables were out of his mouth, and he felt the promise on his tongue as of he'd made it in the past. He felt her go up on her tiptoes, then her weight was gone. He looked up as the sound of jeans on smooth steal, and saw her peeking out of a maintenance hatch.

"Never?" Rose asked, her tongue curling up into her teeth in the first genuine smile since she woke up.

"Cross my hearts." He made an x across both sides of his chest. He was acutely aware that his cheeks and ears were flushing for some odd reason, and he cleared his throat. "See anything?"

Rose disappeared for a moment, but the blue light of the sonic glowed in the darkness above. When she came back, she was wiping a cobweb from her face. "Straight path, back this way." She pointed over her shoulder, "but there's a grating blocking the way that way." She pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "Down that way." She pointed towards the bedroom. "I can see the lights we left on reflecting against a brick wall."

"Straight away it is then." The Doctor held out his arms. "Down you get, Rose." She disappeared again for a moment, then her trainers reappeared in the opening, dangling slowly over the edge. He stepped directly under her, and made a cradle from his arms. It was too dangerous to try to catch her on his shoulders again. "Drop. I'll catch you."

Without questioning him, she slid the rest of the way out, and landed in his arms with a solid thud. The Doctor held her tight, bracing his feet at the change in weight, and her hands latched onto his shoulders. "Hello." She gasped, her cheeks blushing a bit in an adorable way.

"Hullo." The Doctor replied, knowing he should put her down, but feeling like he should take a second to memorize how this felt.

"You have white flecks in your eyes." Rose murmured, as if thinking out loud. Then, realizing what she had said and the intimacy of the moment, she wriggled in his arms. The Doctor set her down, and pulled at his ear. His sonic was tucked in the cleavage of her shirt, and he nodded at it. "Oh." She plucked it out and passed it back.

"I'm gonna see if I can make a bag for the supplies you've rummaged up." He stuttered, shoving the sonic in his inside coat pocket.

"I'm just gonna go." Rose pointed towards the bedroom, and hurried away. So she was feeling it too, the odd sensation of attraction without knowing why. He watched her retreating form for a moment, then headed to the kitchen after retrieving the bundle of cord she had thrown down.

The Doctor found her supplies portioned out on the table. She had emptied the lidded containers of Yardlav milk out, and filled them with water. Any food that didn't need to be kept cold had been sorted according to size. There were two baggies of jerky mixed with sliced fruit rolled up tight, the nutbread he didn't recognize sliced and portioned out, a box of matches, a knife wrapped in a rag, and the rest of the cord from the kitchen curtains. He contemplated packing it all in his pockets, but the thought of them getting separated without her having food and water stopped him.

The Doctor ripped down the curtains, placed Rose's half of the supplies into the middle, then tied it up and brought the ends down to tie around the corners. He pulled at them with a solid yank, and the makeshift straps held strong.

"Nifty." Rose had come back in the kitchen, her hands holding a bulging pillowcase. She had raided the bathroom as well apparently. "I found some first aid supplies and such. Better safe than sorry, yeah?" She gave him a shy smile.

"Smart girl." The Doctor beamed at her forethought, and took the pillowcase to sort out the medicine and supplies. After he had them split evenly, he stuffed her portion back in her pack and handed it to her. "Tell me if it's too heavy."

Rose shouldered the pack, testing its weight and shook her head. "'S good. I noticed I'm in better shape than I remember being." Her lips turned down in a frown, as if the gaps in remembering how she got in shape worried her.

"Life with me is a bit hectic." The Doctor explained with a wry smile, hoping to assuage her fears. "Lots of running, lots of harrowing escapes, so I'm not surprised." Rose didn't smile however, and her deepening frown made him nearly regret his statement. "Ready?" He grabbed a chair and lifted it. He was going to boost himself up, and then pull her up.

"Where're your supplies?" Rose looked at the now empty table.

"Transdimensional pockets." The Doctor patted his jacket with wink. "Tucked safely away."

"They won't get smushed?" Rose cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. The Doctor shook his head at her, stifling a chuckle. "If you say so."

He led her back into the hall, set the chair under the opening, and climbed to pull himself up. The passageway was low, but he could crawl through with ease, and there was enough room for him to turn around. The Doctor braced his heavy boots against the wall and leaned out and down to grab Rose's hand. He admired the way she swung her legs forward to brace off the wall and pull and climb as he shimmied backwards. Once again, she proved to be more resourceful than most humans. He turned, trying not to kick her as he did, and dug his sonic out.

The blue light illuminated the path, and he crawled along, looking down under his arm to check on Rose every so often. His time sense was slowly counting off the minutes, and after twenty had passed, he reached a ladder that led up and down the wall, as well as a corridor to their left. The Doctor paused, unsure of which way to go. The sonic gave no indications if life in either way.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Rose called from behind him, her voice echoing off the metal.

"We've got three possible choices." He replied. "Up, down, or left. What do you think?" It seemed important for some reason, to ask her thoughts.

"Um...." Rose shifted behind him. "Left." The Doctor was about to move, but she pulled on his leg. "Wait. Mark the wall with this." There was the tinkle of plastic on metal, and something rolled up to his hand.

The Doctor looked down to see a tube of lipstick resting against his palm. "Flame red, huh?" He chuckled, twisting off the top and marking an X to the left of the ladder.

"Shut up." Rose hissed, and they continued around the gap in the floor.

As they progressed, the floor began to slant gradually, until after another fifteen minutes. It didn't escape his notice that Rose was growing labored in her breathing, although she didn't say anything. The Doctor was about to suggest a rest, when the smell of a fireplace assailed his nose. He led her on just a bit further, and a wrought iron grate came into view. All he could see was a crackling fireplace. He pushed on the grate, but it didn't budge, so he ran the sonic on it. There were no screw or latches to pop free, it was just fit snuggly into place. "Back up a bit, Rose."

He heard her shuffle, and he turned so he was laying flat on his back. With a swift kick, the grating flew free and he slid down to plush carpet. Rose crawled out behind him. For a moment, his spirits soared. It was his study on the TARDIS, except her hum was missing, and the coral was too dark to be accurate. The Doctor tried not to frown, as he turned to where Rose was shedding her bag.

Her face was plastered with sweat, flushed, and her eyes looked exhausted. "I just need a drink." She explained, pulling open the sack and reaching for her water.

Guilt flooded him. They had been up for almost six hours, and if the man in the video was correct, they had only been unconscious an hour. Who knew how long he and Rose had been awake before that. He ran a check on his own stamina, finding that he was nowhere near tired, and could probably go another three or four days without sleep. "You rest." The Doctor pointed to the leather couch sitting near the fireplace.

"I'm fine." Rose replied, wiping her mouth after two swallows of water. She had capped the bottle and was sliding it back. So she knew to ration her water too. Again, he couldn't help but marvel at her quick thinking for a human.

"Rose, you look dead on your feet." The Doctor moved towards her as she stood. Dark circles were under her eyes, and she looked ready to collapse into sleep right there. "Take a kip. I'll look around."

"I'm fine." She insisted, shaking her head at him. This stubborn woman was going to be the death of him, he just knew it.

"Sleep, now." The Doctor reached out to grip her shoulder and guide her to the sofa. "Doctor's orders." He chuckled. "We need you in peak shape!"

"What about you?" Rose queried, flopping down on the cushions. "You should rest too." Was she always so concerned for his well being? The Doctor was touched. He couldn't remember the last person to care about his health. Was it Grace? Ace? Maybe Sarah Jane? They all seemed so far in his past that they blurred together.

"Don't need much sleep, me." He explained, with a gentle smile. "You sleep. I'll investigate." The Doctor pushed on her shoulder until she slid down the leather to curl up into a ball. Almost instantly her eyes were shut.

Turning away from her, he looked around the room, unsure of where to start. There should be two doors disguised as panels here. One would normally lead to the hall, and the other to his laboratory. Upon examination, he found them both, but when the panels slid open, only brick walls were there. "Rassilon's staff." The Doctor swore and slammed his fist against the wall.

He turned and prowled to his desk. It was uncharacteristically tidy, except for a spiral bound notebook. He settled into his chair, and opened it up. On the first page was cryptogram that took up every line. Instead of the usual numbers under each line, it was an combination of symbols, letters, and numbers. There were also no spaces to indicate where words ended or began.

The Doctor considered the puzzle for a moment, and then set it aside to come back to. He stood again, moving to the shelves to begin checking his books to see if he could find the key to the puzzle. The more he looked, the more frustrated he became. Every book he picked up was blank.

It took him an hour to check them all, and then he moved on to rummaging through every drawer and shelf. The Doctor mumbled to himself as he searched, finding most empty or barren, until he passed by a mirror on the wall. A red mark on his neck, just below his ear caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He ran his finger over it, feeling a numb bump under the skin. Yet, when he looked directly at it in the mirror, it disappeared. "Perception filter!"

The Doctor pressed the sonic against it, checking its readings. It was tracking device, linked directly to a nerve in his neck. There was also some sort of wire linking directly around his nerves into his brain. "What are you." He whispered, pushing it. A beep came from the corner of the room, and he looked up to see a tiny green light in the corner. He pressed again, and the alarm tinged once more, now flashing red. A sharp shock pulsed up his neck to his brain, and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Rose's hands shifted under her head as she turned. She felt so comfy, curled up and slowly drifting back to consciousness. She had been having such a pleasant dream, about soaring through the stars. There had been a man with her, but the dream was fading as she stretched across her bed. Her foot collided with something, and instantly she jerked to full alertness. "Doctor!" The word came out before she could comprehend why. She wasn't in bed. She was propped up by one arm on a leather sofa, in some sort of study. The memory of her situation came rushing back with a jolt.

She sat fully up, looking for her friend. Could she even call him that? They had been travel companions at least. He was nowhere in sight. The fire was still burning, and her knapsack was still on the floor by the grating. "Doctor!" Rose called out, pushing herself up. Something thin and shining on the floor caught her eye. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver was laying on the rug in front of the hearth.   
  
Panic flooded her chest, and she instantly knew something was wrong. Since he had pulled the sonic from that box, it had rarely left his hand. Had he been taken? The thought terrified her for some reason, not the prospect of being alone, but that the Doctor could be in danger. She didn't even stop to wonder why it affected her so greatly. Rose came around the sofa, and her shoe collided with something solid. Her eyes darted down, and she gasped.

The Doctor was sprawled across the floor, a small trail of red liquid with a tint of orange staining his lips and chin. Rose dropped to her knees and rolled him onto his back. "Doctor! Please wake up!" She shook his shoulders. What had happened while she was asleep? She knew she shouldn't have closed her eyes. She pressed her finger to his neck to check his pulse, but it felt odd under her touch. Right, he had two hearts not one.

Rose pulled his jumper up, exposing his chest, and placed a palm on either side. The one under her right hand was beating steadily, but the other was erratic. It would beat faintly, then give rapid thrums, then go dead. Was he having a heart attack? Could his people even have heart attacks? "What do I do?" She pleaded with the empty room. No one answered. She was alone, and the Doctor needed her.

She lowered her ear to his mouth, listening for inhales and feeling for exhales, but there was none. The Doctor was in trouble, and every fiber in her being knew that. Rose tried to recall everything she had learned about mouth to mouth resuscitation, and tilted his head back. She pinched his nose, covered his lips with her own, and breathed out. His chest didn't rise. "Shit!" She hissed and tried again. Still nothing happened. "Compressions." She positioned herself over his chest, and placed her palms above his spasming heart.

When it fell into the lull of no beat, she gave quick set of downward pressed into his ribs. Rose felt his heart respond with a jerk, but it spasmed again. "Work!" She screamed, feeling tears sting her eyes. "Please! Please don't die." Again, she threw herself into the compressions. After this set, his heart fell into a regular rhythm. He still wasn't breathing, not that she could feel against her skin in the least. She pinched the Doctor's nose again, placing her lips over his open ones, and breathed into his mouth.

Rose felt him gasp in the breath she gave him, and his hands shot up to grip at her arms. She tried to pull her away, and as she did, the Doctor's lips closed around her lower one. A tingle shivered down her spine, and she slid free with a pop. Instinctively, her tongue darted out to catch his taste. Had he just kissed her, or was it just a reflex?

His blue eyes flicked open, meeting hers as they focused. "Didn't mean to scare you, Rose." He whispered, sitting up slowly. His thumb brushed across her cheek, and came away with shining with a tear.

"Don't do it again, yeah?" She rocked back to sit on the carpet, watching as he pulled his jumper down and wiped his mouth.

"I'll do my best." The Doctor chuckled. "But it wasn't my fault." He winced as he touched his neck, and Rose thought she saw a red pinprick below his ear, but when she concentrated it was gone.

"What happened?" She looked around for any sign of someone else being in the room. Nothing gave anything away. "Were you attacked?"

"Sort of, yeah." The Doctor reached out a hand to her neck then froze and pulled it back. "Lift your hair away from your neck for me." Rose did as instructed, and she saw as he looked just off to the side. "Damn it!" He hissed. "You've got one too."

"What?!" She gasped, reach up to feel at her neck. Her forefinger grazed over a numb lump just blow her ear. A loud beep echoed from the corner, and the Doctor yanked her hand away.

"Don't touch it!" He half shouted, pinning her hand against the wool of his jumper. Rose jerked in surprise at the terror in his voice. "It's some sort of tracking device. I have one too, and when I messing with it, they shocked me." His fingers tightened around her wrist, as if afraid she'd still touch it.

"Doctor, you're hurting me." Rose hadn't meant to whimper, but his nails were digging into her skin. His grip instantly released, and he scooped up his sonic with one hand.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor scrambled to his feet and stared down at his hands. "I would never. I could never..." He seemed at a loss for words, and she was overcome with an urge to comfort him.

Rose pushed herself up, and before she could think, wrapped her arms around his torso. "I know." She murmured against the soft wool on his chest. "I don't know why, but I just know you would never hurt me on purpose."

The Doctor's strong arms wrapped around her, and she wasn't sure exactly how long they stood like that. It just seemed vital that they shared this moment, like things wouldn't be right between them if it didn't happen. "We're going to get out of this, Rose Tyler." He squeezed her softly, making her look up into his face. "I promise you, we will get out of this. We will get our memories back, and we will save our friend."

"Together?" She wasn't sure why that seemed the correct question to ask, but it made his serious face give way to a gentle smile.

"Together." The Doctor replied, reaching up to brush hair back behind her ear. Suddenly, he pulled away, leaving her standing alone and dashed to the desk. "I forgot, while you were sleeping I found this." He flipped open a spiral notebook that was instantly recognizable.

"The message book!" Rose gasped and darted around the desk to look. Sure enough, there was her and Shareen's secret notebook from school. "Gimme a pencil."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, but pulled open a drawer and pulled out a standard yellow school pencil. "You know how to solve this?"

"Shh, I need to think." Rose settled into the chair and focused on the page. It had been a while since she and her friend had created this for passing notes in class. Yet, if she concentrated she knew she could do it. "Yes, I just need to concentrate." Now that the shock and fear were wearing off, her stomach gave a soft growl. "Um, Doctor, could you grab me something to eat."

He nodded and headed over to her sack. When he returned, he placed some of the jerky and fruit down along with her water. Rose began to nibble as she decoded the message. "Can I see your mobile again?" The Doctor's voice was thoughtful, but she was focused on her task. Without thinking, she passed it to him.

Slowly, she worked out the letters. It didn't make much sense, even though she knew her transcriptions were correct. The soft click of the Doctor keying through her mobile was barely noticeable, but every once in a while, Rose glanced up to watch him. It always seemed as if his eyes were darting away from her when she did. She had a sneaking growing suspicion that they were more than just friends or travel companions, but that left her with the mystery of what happened to her and Mickey, and if her mum knew about her travels. She pushed those thoughts away, and contemplated the puzzle before her. She only had three lines left, but the jumbled message still made no sense to her.

"His name is Jack." The Doctor's voice seemed loud after the extended silence.

Rose looked up at him. "Who?" She was a bit confused.

"The man from the video." He explained. "I found a text message from him on your phone." He waved the mobile before reading. "Ask the Doctor if he needs any spare thermo couplings. I just found a pair for a really great price." The Doctor paused for a moment, clicking down. "He said he does, but not if you're gonna shag the seller to get them." That made him chuckle a bit under his breath. "Tell the Doctor to stop being a party pooper." He paused, and suddenly his shoulders slumped, and his eyes closed. His next quote was a whisper. "What the Doctor doesn't know, won't hurt."

Rose felt a shiver run down her spine. Talk about irony. "When was that sent? Does it say?"

"September Twenty-Second, but no year marker." He sighed, and pressed more buttons. "There's some more texts from the twenty-eighth. Just him asking where we went. We are an hour late meeting him at the TARDIS, and he'll only forgive us if we finally...."

"Finally what, Doctor?" Rose tilted her head, trying to make out the conflicted look on his face. It was like he was regretting something, but couldn't remember what.

"Nothing." The Doctor shook his head and pocketed her mobile. Rose shrugged it off. Right now, she needed to finish the puzzle. She could read her own texts later. He crossed over to the desk to look down at her work. "Almost done?"

She nodded, scribbling in the last few blanks and set the pencil down. "But it doesn't make sense." She leaned back in her chair and took a drink, as the Doctor bent over to analyze the page.

Rose watched as he muttered nonsense under his breath, his eyes darting across the paper. "It doesn't make sense to you, because it's not in English." He rubbed one ear and turned those crystalline eyes on her again. "If we were still linked to the TARDIS, you'd be able to make it out." She was confused. How could one be linked to a ship? She was about to ask, but he ripped the page out and began writing furiously on the next page. Slowly the message made sense.

"You lied before, and you'll lie again. We knew the answer, but still you sinned. In this room only, will you find rest. Either up or down you'll meet a test." Rose read the riddle poem aloud as he moved the lead across the paper, feeling her anxiety ratchet just a bit higher. "Consider this your final clue. Your innocence you have to prove." She paused as he continued to write, trying to read around his furiously scribbling hand. "Positioned below does not mean least. The Storm can be calmed by the Beast. The test above is only passed by the truth found in the looking glass. The choice together you must make, or your lives together you will forsake."

The tension in the air was palpable. Rose could practically hear the frustration in the Doctor's mind. He pointed at a word, beast, and tapped it with a finger. "This translation, 'm not quite sure. It means animal, a furry predatory animal. Only chose the word beast because it rhymed with least."

"What does this mean though, Doctor?" She bit her lip as he yanked up the paper and began pacing the room. "What does it mean we lied before and we'll lie again?!" What had they done? What had they lied about? How was it fair to punish them for crimes they couldn't even remember committing?

"I don't know!" The Doctor snapped at her, kicking at the iron fireplace tools resting on the hearth. The metal clanging to the stones made Rose jump. He wasn't frustrated anymore. The Doctor was angry. Something in the way his eyes flashed and his fists clenched, that him being angry did not bode well for anyone. "If I knew, d'ya think I'd be standin' here?! No!" He kicked at the poker that was half on the carpet. It soared through the air and stuck into the wall across the room.

Rose swallowed. She wanted to say something, anything, to calm the rage that was building in this man, this strange alien man who had an hour before been so sweet with her. Yet, her mind failed to give her the words to say. Her thoughts kept grasping for a memory, a phrase that didn't exist for her anymore. It was a unique kind of hell, one that existed for her alone. She knew she could soothe him before today, that there was a specific tone that would calm the anger filling the room. Yet, it wasn't hers to hold anymore. All she could do was bite her tongue and let him get it out.

"I know you can hear me!" The Doctor had spun to face the green blinking light in the corner. "Calm the Storm? Ha! Do you even know what the Storm is capable of?! You think you can meddle in my mind, in Rose's mind to force us into submission?!" The deathly tone of his voice sent chills down her spine. "You think choosing a title given by my enemies will be enough to cower me. You want to know what the Storm can do, go ask Gallifrey, no." He threw his arms wide and let out a harsh laugh. "Go ask the Daleks! Know what you'll find!? Do you!? Rocks and dust and ashes! Because they are gone!" He pointed a finger at the camera and sneered. "Nothing can stop the Storm, not a damn bloody thing in the universe. Rose and I are going to pass your stupid trials! Then, I'm coming for you. Do you hear me! The Oncoming Storm is coming for you!"

Before Rose could stop him, the Doctor lifted a sculpture of some sort from the mantle and hurled it at the camera. The green light fizzled, and in a tiny puff of smoke the room went dark. The only light came from the flames of the fireplace. She pushed away from the desk, as he sank to his knees. "Doctor." She rushed to his side, kneeling beside him on the floor. She tried to touch him, but he shrugged her hand off. More questions were burning in her mind, but only one came to her lips. "You said you were from Gallifrey, but..."

The Doctor heaved a heavy sigh. "Don't ask me about my home." He warned tenderly. "It doesn't matter." She watched as he ran his hands over his face and sighed. "All that matters is getting you out safe."

"Us out safe." Rose knew it was hazardous to correct him, but that one sentence made his eyes find hers again. "We agreed, together yeah?" She tried to smile, but honestly she was petrified. The Doctor was even more of an enigma than before, and now he was volatile. She would have to tread carefully to keep him from exploding.

"Rose." His voice was leadened in a way she couldn't comprehend, like a weight the size of the sky had been pressed into his chest. "If you knew what I've done, you wouldn't want me to make it out." There was no denying the raw pain in his words. "You'd never have agreed to travel with me in the first place."

Rose drew in a shaky breath. Was he right? Had he kept this pain and rage hidden away from her before today? She couldn't remember, and that wasn't nearly as terrifying as the prospect of facing the tests alone. So she pushed her apprehension away, and closed a hand over his. "I'm not afraid of you." It was a lie. She was terrified of what she'd just witnessed, of her body knowing his touch when her mind did not, of the photos she had seen that clearly displayed how she felt towards him before.

"You should be." The Doctor scoffed, shaking his head in the yellow firelight.

"Well, I'm not." She retorted, crossing her arms and rocking back on her heels.

"Yeah, well you stupid apes never do know danger when you see it." The insult rolled off of his tongue, and straight to her hand.

Rose slapped him hard across the face before she could even process her arm moving. Anger flared to life in her chest, as he stumbled to the side. "'M not some stupid ape." The words spit out of her mouth just as reflexively as her slap did. It was as if they had been aching to do so, but there was nothing holding them back now. "I found the thumb drive. I saved your stupid life, and I decoded that riddle. All you've done is brood, make a knapsack, and almost get us gassed to death in the kitchen!" She crossed her arms again as the Doctor rubbed his cheek with a wince.

"That hurt." He whined, pushing himself back up.

"You're a big boy." Rose rolled her eyes and looked away. "You can handle it. What are you, thirty-eight? Thirty-nine? How about you act like it and keep your insults to yourself.

"Nine hundred." The Doctor smirked, as if intentional baiting her. "'M Nine Hundred."

"Shut up." Rose couldn't help the laugh of disbelief from bubbling out. "You are not."

"Yes I am!" The Doctor protested. "My people, we age slower, and there are other things. I can't explain now, not with our wardens listening."

Rose had a sneaky suspicion that he wasn't lying. As if the man wasn't already enough of a mystery, now he had to pile on more. She could only hope that when she got her memories back, that she'd know his whole story. For now, she had to make it through the tests. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting  
> Blood  
> Nightmares   
> The Oncoming Storm at full fury

The Doctor shifted with his back against the side of the sofa. Rose had insisted that they stay separated to gather their thoughts before continuing. She was right, he was loathe to admit. He had apologized for calling her a stupid ape, because of course he hadn't meant it. It was just that he was so angry. Yet, when she slapped him, that was a whole other conundrum.

On one side, his automatic reflex after spending unknown amounts of years at war, was to strike back. He had reined that response in immediately. On another side, it had been humiliating. Not only had he entirely failed to predict the slap coming, but the strength behind it had sent him sprawling to the floor. On the third side, the way Rose responded to him was all together attractive. Not many people, Time Lord or otherwise, ever dared to stand up to him unless they were trying to kill him. The Doctor wondered if she was like that all the time, or if merely the circumstances of their imprisonment brought that about.

He fiddled with her mobile in his hand. He couldn't remember anything from their time together before, but some of Rose's memories were written out right here. Not only had they been traveling together for over a year, but he'd met her mum at some point. There were text messages from Jackie asking when they were coming around for tea this month. This was a surprise, as the Doctor had always tried to keep the domestic portions of his companions lives at more than arms length.

Also, based on the conversation with Jack, Rose had feelings for the Doctor. Very, very strong feelings that she didn't think he reciprocated. Jack, however, had assured Rose that the Doctor did indeed feel the same way. He hovered his finger over the delete thread option for that particular series of texts. Jack had said he'd only forgive them for being late if they finally kissed, because the tension in the TARDIS was getting too much for even the Time Agent to bear.

What if they didn't make it out in time? It wasn't fair to leave her with that conversation hanging over her head. Then again, what if they did? There was something growing between them already, in the short day they had spent locked in this maze. What would happen if he got his memories back, and what she felt towards him was unrequited?

His thumb pressed down on the raised rubber, but before it clicked home he slid it free. No, it wasn't right. These weren't his memories, they were Rose's. If he took them now, even without her knowing, it would be no different then forcing his way into her mind and erasing something there. These people holding them had already done enough to her, and the Doctor would never lower himself to their standards.

According to his time sense, it had been two hours since his outburst at their captors, and a total of twenty-four and a half hours since he first woke up. That left them with only about seventy hours left to take the trials and pass. Maybe even less, since he didn't know exactly how long they had been unconscious. The Doctor knew they had to get started now. There was no telling what the trials would be or how long they would last.

Pushing himself to his feet, he came around to where Rose was sitting in front of the fire with her knees under her chin. "Penny for your thoughts." He held out a hand, her mobile resting in his palm.

Rose looked up with a jerk, and took her phone back. Then he pulled her to her feet. "Just thinkin' bout my mum." She admitted. "Wonderin' if I'll ever see her again." She gave a sad sigh and shrugged.

"I promise to get you back to her." The Doctor felt her fears like a knife in his chest. Rose had a home, someone to miss her and care about her. What did he have now? Nothing, nobody, except the blonde human in front of him. Now, he may even be losing her.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Rose's voice was low and cold, and the Doctor wondered if he had caused irreparable damage to their blossoming friendship with his harsh words. "Let's go." She turned away, scooped up her rucksack to her shoulders, and knelt to crawl into the opening.

The Doctor followed after her, activating the sonic so it would light their path ahead. The silence between them was cold and heavy, and, as Rose began to perspire, he could taste the anxiety and dread coming from her pores. When they reached the ladder, she didn't even ask him what direction they should go. She grabbed onto the rungs and began climbing down. He had wanted to go up. He paused, looking up into the darkness overhead. He could follow her and risk unleashing the Storm, or he could go off on his own and seek this truth bearing looking glass.

Steeling himself mentally, the Doctor lowered his boot and began climbing down. He could her the thud and squeak of Rose's trainers below him, and after twenty seven rungs, he heard her land on something wet and squishy. His boots sank a bit in what felt like goo, as he stepped off the final rung.

Rose's soft breaths drew him to shine the sonic's light on her. Everything here was dark, and she squinted as the blue glow hit her face. "What is this?" She made a face as she lifted her shoe.

"Don't move." The Doctor advised. He had a sudden fear of her wandering off, and he crouched down to scan the gunk they were standing in. "This is some sort of biomass. It's alive, but I can't analyze exactly what."

"It's disgustin'." Rose fussed, turning her back. "Come on." She was walking away before he could stop her.

"Rose! Don't wander off!" He hurried after her, following the reflection of her hair in the light. The Doctor grabbed her arm, pulling her back to his side. "Together, yeah?"

Rose stared at him for a second. Electricity seemed to spark between them in the shadows, and the intensity in her amber eyes set his skin to tingle. Then her warm fingers fumbled against his palms. As soon as the Doctor laced his with hers, he felt both of them relax and breath easier. "Together." She breathed. "And when we get through this, I think we're going to need to talk about things."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He knew he was being evasive, but now was not the time to focus on what he knew but couldn't remember about their friendship. "Ready?"

"Ready." Rose squeezed his hand, and they stepped forward again.

It was slow going, traipsing through the muck that seemed to deepen as they progressed. After an hour of nothing but squishing sounds and empty air, the gunk was up to his calves and Rose's knees. It was no issue for him, but slowing her considerably. The Doctor was about to offer to carry her, when a blue light fizzled to life ahead of them. It couldn't be

"Get down!" He shouted, shoving her into the muck, and ducking himself.

"Exterminate!" The beam of blue light shot directly through where they had been standing. Then it was gone, and darkness enveloped them once more.

"What the hell was that!" Rose hissed, as he pressed his palm to her back to keep her down.

"The second most dangerous creature in the universe." The Doctor whispered. Something was off. He raised a hand up to where the laser had fired through, but the heated ozone of the Dalek's energy was not present. There was still the sensation of a lethal weapon, but not specifically a Daleks.

"What's the first most dangerous?" Rose grunted, trying to raise up. He let her, and helped her to her feet.

"Don't worry about it." The Doctor advised. It wouldn't do to tell her that she was currently holding hands with the most dangerous creature in the universe. He held her close to his side, pointing the sonic around the room. There was nothing but the life signs of the gunk below them.

"Rooooooosie." A sing song voice of a man echoed from somewhere in the dark. At the sound of it, he felt Rose's pulse stop for just a moment against his palm.

"Who's there?!" The Doctor called. He squinted into the darkness, but was acutely aware of Rose digging her nails into his palm.

"Shut up." She whispered. "He'll hear you." A different kind of fear coated her voice, and she pressed herself closer into his side. "Let's move, okay."

The Doctor kept his arm around her, and guided her further into the abyss. He had an idea forming about what was going on, but no way to confirm it. They waded silently for another fifteen minutes before his boot collided with a solid wall. "Stop." Rose came to a halt, and he shone the sonic at the metal before them.

There was a door set into it, with a third helix detector on the side. The Doctor hesitated, before pressing his palm against the sensor. "Access Granted, Doctor." A voice echoed. The door slid open, revealing a dim light that made them squint after so long with only the glow of the sonic. The goo did not flood inside.

"Is it safe?" Rose blinked from where she had turned her face into his chest.

The Doctor peered into the room as his eyes adjusted. All he could see was another room, lined wall to wall with some sort of doors. "Guess we'll find out?" He slid his fingers around her shoulder down her arm to take her hand. "Ready?"

"Mmmhmm" Rose flicked her eyes up to his with a nod. Then she looked back over her shoulder at the darkness, as if checking if they were followed.

Together they stepped onto the smooth floor. The Doctor expected the door to slide shut behind them, but the entire wall seemed to have dissipated into the gaping maw of darkness. "Don't let go of my hand, Rose." His mind was trying to warn him that things were not what they seemed, but he couldn't figure out exactly what was going on.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Rose snorted, as her trainers moved along the floor. Something in the movement was off. The goo from their shoes should be making the rubber squeak on the metal, but it didn't. The silverish gunk, he could now see the color, should be dripping into puddles. It wasn't though. It was disappearing into the tiles.

Just as the Doctor was about to point these things out, the biomass did begin to stick like prints, and his own boot squeaked. "Stop!" The Doctor hissed. "This room isn't real."

"Of course it is." Rose reached over to slap one of the curved glass doors to her right. The impact made the sound of flesh on glass. "See." The door she hit clicked at the hinges and slowly opened. Heavy steam poured around them, and the light shimmered off the metal body. Inside. "I can't see." Rose was waving the mist from her face.

"Run!" The Doctor shoved her forward, as more doors began to open. As they did, the mist filled the narrow room. He grabbed her hand, yanking her along. "Don't stop, Rose! Don't look back!" He couldn't see, as the lights flickered and the fog grew heavier. How were there Cyberman? First Daleks, then that voice, now Cybermen, the Doctor's suspicions were confirmed. The biomass was reading their bodies, and throwing out monsters from their minds.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed as metal hand slapped over her face from behind, covering her eyes and mouth. The Cyberman yanked her hard enough to break their grip on each other.

"No! Rose!" He spun around, charging back at the metal monster, but it turned into a silver blob, with tendrils wrapped and gagging Rose's face and arms, and collapsed to the floor. The room dissipated, leaving him alone in the dark . "Give her back to me!" He roared, diving into the goo where she had vanished. There was nothing there.

"Rose!" The Doctor shouted, his hearts racing in panic. He'd promised her she'd make it out. He had to get her back. "Where did you take her!" He howled at the empty room. He spun around, scanning his sonic as he did. Rose's lifesigns registered, but she was growing further away to his right.

He raced after them. "If you hurt her!" He bellowed as he shoved his way through the silver sludge. "I will end you! I will end you all!" The Doctor was trying to keep the Storm in check, but it was difficult. This room, the biomass, was nothing but a nightmare machine. Yes, it could injure them, even kill them, but he suspected that the true purpose was to keep them too terrified to continue.

Rose didn't know that though. Whatever monster this room plucked from her mind would seem real, and the Doctor worried about just what nightmares were in store for her. He pushed on, following her life signs on the sonic until another wall appeared in his path.

It looked like the concrete wall of building in London. Judging from the metal fireescape, multiple evenly spaced windows, and curtains, it looked like it contained lower income or estate flats. Rose's life signs were about twenty meters on the other side, and had stopped moving. The Doctor grabbed the handle, but a voice stopped him.

"Lord Doctor." The sound of Rassilon made him turn. "Again, you meddle in the lives of humans. Our laws are clear."

"You're dead." The Doctor said flatly, throwing out his harms. "He's dead! I killed him! I killed them all! You can't use this against me!"

"I'm very real, and very alive, Lord Doctor." The fake Rassilon sneered, his steel colored eyes twinkling in superior glee. "When will you learn? These pathetic humans are beneath us." He prowled closer, his crimson and gold robes swishing ominously. "You are a Time Lord, and here you are pining after some stupid ape! Where is your dignity?"

That did it. Rose was not a stupid ape or pathetic human. She was his friend, his companion, and the only thing that had eased the darkness in his soul. The Storm broke free, and the Doctor launched himself at the fake Lord President.

The imitation silver gauntlet snapped closed around the Doctor's throat, and stopped him in mid air. "You'll never set her free." He hissed and threw the Doctor back into the wall. Instead of slamming into concrete, the goo let him sink through, and he landed on his back inside a room. To his right was the glint of blonde hair, and it wasn't moving.

The Doctor tried to stand, but a foot crashed down into his chest, making him groan in pain. The goo had taken on the shape of a strange man he didn't recognize. He appeared human, with dirty blonde hair and intense moss green eyes. His lips were turned up in a sneer. "You want her back?" The man laughed. "Prove she's worth it." He stepped away and moved towards Rose, blocking her from him. The walls, stained by nicotine and age, shimmered and Rassilon emerged from the gunk.

The Doctor scrambled to his feet. He had thought Rose was unconscious, but she was curled into a ball with her arms over her face and head. Red blood dripped onto the fake tile below her. "Rose!" He tried to get to her, but the fake Rassilon pulled him back.

He was never one to physically fight, but this wasn't his life on the line. The Doctor turned, and put the full strength of his fury into a punch. It collided with the fake President's jaw, but at the same time Rose gave a shout of pain. He stumbled as Rassilon pushed him to the side, and looked to Rose. The blonde man has delivered a kick to Rose's back, forcing her onto her stomach.

The Doctor's vision flashed red rage as he launched at the blonde man, but Rassilon kicked him aside with a sneer. "Leave her alone!" He roared at the pair, and took a swing at Rassilon again. When the punch collided with the red robes, the blonde man delivered another kick to Rose.

"Please." Her broken voice sobbed, and she coughed blood up as she tried to curl back into a ball. "I'm sorry." Her eyes were squeezed closed.

"Fight me!" Rassilon laughed, tossing his head back. "You're weak, a coward. That's why you love these stupid apes so much. They make you feel strong!"

"Leave her alone!" The Doctor tackled the Lord President to the floor. What little control he had over the Storm shattered, and the Tempest took hold. He clenched his fingers around Rassilon's neck, lifting up, squeezing, and slamming his skull to the floor.

"Jimmy, please stop." Rose gasped behind him, and the sound of her thudding against the tile tried to force its way into his mind. He couldn't turn, couldn't look, couldn't stop. All he wanted was to make the nightmare end. "Doctor." That word floated over the sounds of choking and flesh slamming down, falling on deaf ears. "You promised."

 


	6. Chapter 6

Rose had felt like she was drowning and floating all at once. Her world spun, and darkness enveloped her mind for what felt like a blink. When her eyes opened, she was sprawled on the floor of a barren flat that she recognized instantly. She coughed, silver liquid splattering onto the tile. She closed her eyes, rolling onto her side to try to cough up the rest. Someone was shouting from far away, but she couldn't understand.

"Hello, Rose." A voice she had been dreading whispered, and hands turned her head roughly. The moss green eyes of Jimmy Stone sparkled down at her. "Miss me?"

"You're not real." She groaned, trying to push herself up. Her entire body was shaking, weak, like the time she'd accidentally swam too far from shore at the beach. "None of this is real. The Doctor said-"

"The Doctor? That same stupid dream Rose?" Jimmy laughed, a cold disappointed thing. "We've been over this, love. The Doctor was just a dream. I'm real. This is real." He pressed his palm against her cheek. "See."

Disgust welled up at the touch, and Rose brought her arm up to deliver a punch into his ribs. She was too drained to do much, but Jimmy flinched and growled. The back of his hand crashed into her mouth. "You stupid-" he was cut off as the wall warped and a blur of black flew through it and hit the floor with a thud. "Damn it." Jimmy growled, and stood up, delivering a sharp stomp of his heel to her nose. She felt the cartilage shatter, and blood gush down her face.

"Please." She coughed, curling in on herself. This couldn't be real. It couldn't. The Doctor had promised they'd get out. Rose curled her arms up over her face and head, an instinctive move to protect herself from more harm. Jimmy was talking to someone, but the throbbing and ringing in her head drowned out the words. A third voice joined in, and she tried to open her eyes.

A sharp kick landed in the middle of her back, forcing her onto her stomach. The room spun, stars dancing in front of her eyes from the pain. Rose tried to turn her head, when the sound of fighting resumed. Then she heard the voice, the deadly northern burr that had shouted out loud just hours before. The Doctor was real. He was here, just like he promised.

The stars in her vision cleared, and she rolled onto her back. The Doctor tackled someone in red robes to the floor, and the person was laughing. Then her view was blocked as Jimmy kneeled over her knees and wrapped his fingers around her throat. Her airway tightened, pressed painfully flat as he squeezed her throat. He pulled her up, sneering lethally at her, then slammed her down to the floor. From her hazy vision, she saw the Doctor doing the same thing to someone else.

"Jimmy, please stop." Rose gasped, clawing at his hands. Her oxygen deprived and pain clouded mind was growing enticingly but terrifyingly dim. Some part of her realized, with detached numbness, that she was dying. Then, as her thoughts became more scattered, a sentence swam to the forethought. _The Storm can be calmed by the Beast._ The Doctor had said he was the Storm.

Rose wasn't sure what that meant, but maybe she was supposed to calm him down. He had called her an ape before, and apes were beasts. Her head slammed into the tile again, and the pain spurred her adrenaline higher. "Doctor." Her voice was so weak. She had to get his attention. "You promised." He had promised, together. They had to work together.

Rose gasped in the deepest breath she could manage, and focused on the leather jacket to her left. "You aren't real." She hissed at the man strangling her. Not a man, because men were real. "You're just a nightmare, a memory. You don't control me anymore Jimmy Stone." She relaxed, not resisting or struggling any longer. She had to focus on what was real. The Doctor was real.

She closed her eyes and held her breath, trying to dig through her days worth of memories. They were hazy, growing dim, but one stolen moment remained un-phased.

 _Don't let me fall, Doctor._  
_Never._  
_Never?_  
_Cross my hearts._  
_Drop, I'll catch you._

"No!" The fingers around her throat began to weaken, dripping down her skin. "No! Look at me!" The voice of not Jimmy roared at her.

The Doctor wore a leather coat. He had blue eyes with white flecks. His skin was cold, and he had two hearts. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled in the corners and made her stomach a bit fluttery. He was nine hundred and an alien. He came from Gallifrey. He traveled in time and space. He once gave her a key to his ship, because he trusted her with his life. That was all real, it was her life. Someone wanted to take that from her, had taken that from her. Well it wasn't their's to take.

She focused on the taste of his lips, when she had breathed into his lungs. The cool, damp brush as his lips closed around hers burned bright in her mind. The feeling of the hug, how he had squeezed her with just the right amount of of pressure to make her fear melt away, warmed her mind. The fingers dissipated, and Rose gasped in a lungful of air. The Jimmy clone was gone, and the silver goo that had made him was sinking away.

Rose gagged up the blood that had pooled into her throat and mouth, and rolled over to her hands and knees. She opened her eyes, staring at the Doctor's back. He was still trying to strangle, punch, and slam the red robed laughing man. Nothing was having an effect. The Doctor was growling in rage, frustration, and despair. "Doctor, stop." She reached for his arm, as he pulled back for a punch, but missed.

"You're should be dead, Rassilon." The Doctor howled. "I burned it up! You should be dead!"

Rose didn't even try to understand what he was saying, she just knew she had to get his attention. "Doctor, stop! It isn't real!" She pushed up on her knees and grabbed at the back of his jacket. The leather creaked as she pulled it, but he didn't turn. "Look at me!" She felt unusually calm, despite the pounding of her heart and the aching in her bones. "I'm right here, and I'm real."

The Doctor's arms froze, as he lifted the nightmare man from the floor, but then he shook his head and slammed him down. Rose crawled around him, cupping his face with both hands. "Look at me, Doctor. Not him, look at me."

Dead, iced colored orbs met hers, and Rose swore she felt time stand still. She stroked her thumbs over his proud cheeks, and the red robed man laughed. "She's dead, Doctor. I'm real."

The Doctor growled and tried to look down again. "No, I'm real. He's not." She slid one hand down his arm and closed it over his fist. "I let go, and I'm sorry." She forced her fingers into his, prying them loose of the robes. "But you found me. You promised to get me out, remember."

"I failed." The Doctor murmured, squeezing his eyes shut. "I failed you, Rose. I let you die. Rassilon was right. I was weak."

Rose shook her head. Honestly, he was being stubborn about this. Somehow, she knew that he was almost believing it. "That his name? Yeah, well he's a lying prick." She snorted and pulled the hand she was holding to her chest, then took hold of the other. "Let me calm the Storm."

"It's too late." The Doctor growled, jerking his hand away.

That was more than enough for Rose. She was scared, and wet, and cold, and exhausted. The Doctor needed to snap out of this now. She did the only thing she could think of to shock any man, alien or human. Her fingers closed around his cheeks, and she pressed her lips to his.

The Doctor froze, stiff and tense under her touch, then suddenly his hands were on her shoulders. His lips parted, a cold gasp breaking across hers. Rose slid her hands down to his neck, pushing him back off of his knees and the redrobed man. "What's my name?" She murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Rose Tyler." The Doctor replied, his chilly hands stroking along her bare neck. The laughter behind them turned to a scream of defiant rage.

Rose covered his ears with her palms, and pressed another kiss to the Doctor's lips. "What color are my eyes?" She asked softly.

"Amber, like honey dripping from a comb." His hands moved long her ribs to clutch the shirt at her back.

"Where am I from?" The question was softer than the growing insults behind her.

"London, England, Earth." This time, his lips pushed against hers. "You're real. You're alive." That wasn't a question. It was a confirmation. She felt the Doctor pull back, and Rose opened her eyes to look into his. The spark of hope and promise had returned, and he pulled her fully into his lap.

The Doctor's arms closed around her, as if afraid she'd disappear. She felt his face press against her hair, and he began muttering in some musical language she couldn't understand. The insults and screaming from the nightmare man stopped, and the room faded around them. The silver goo was gone, and there were dim lights dotting the ceiling over head.

"The Beast can calm the Storm?" Rose chanced to ask, as he lifted his head. Now that the adrenaline was waning, her face ached and throbbed more severely, and when he pulled back, his neck bumped her nose. She hissed in pain.

"We'll figure it out later." The Doctor replied, and held her cheeks softly. "Oh, Rose. I'm so sorry."

"It'll heal." She tried to smile, but that hurt too. Rose looked at their surroundings. What had seemed like an endless cavern, was actually just an empty concrete room the size of a parking garage level. The ladder they had descended was about thirty meters away. Her knapsack, which she had lost when the goo pulled her down, was on the opposite side, and the Doctor's sonic was just an arms length away.

The Doctor was still holding her to him, and she didn't mind. "You need to rest." He said gently. "Can you climb?"

Rose wrapped herself from his body and stood shakily. She was beyond sore, but she thought she would be able to. "I think so." She winced, as she touched her face gingerly. Her lip was split and her nose felt like a smashed tomato.

"Wait here." The Doctor scrambled to his feet and jogged across the room, scooping up his sonic as he went, and then shouldered her pack. Then he jogged back to her. She stuck out her arm for her things. "I'll carry this." He shook his head.

Their fingers found each other without thinking, and they headed for the ladder. The trip back to the fireplace room seemed to take forever. Rose had considered heading back to the bedroom to shower, but the path back that way was blocked by grating. The clue had said the study would be their only place to rest.

She sank to the sofa, kicking off her trainers and leaning her head back. The Doctor was shedding his coat and digging in the pockets. He pulled out a handful of medical supplies and settled down next to her. "I'm fine." She protested, not wanting anything to touch her swollen face.

"Who's the Doctor here?" He retorted with a smirk, and began pouring alcohol onto a gauze pad.

"Are you even a doctor though?" She was curious. It was his name, but why would an alien doctor travel through time and space getting into trouble?

"I dabble." He chuckled, softly brushing the wet gauze against her lips. It stung like fire, but she knew it was necessary. "Just a cut. No need for stitches." He say the bloody pad aside and pulled out his sonic. He whirred it over her nose. "This, however, is completely shattered. Not to worry. When we get back to the TARDIS, I can fix it right up." He produced a role of medical tape. "Just let me try to keep it stabilized, so moving won't hurt as much."

Rose bit the inside of her cheek to hold back the whimpers of pain. He worked quickly, but it felt like it dragged on for ages. Finally, he cleaned up the supplies and chucked them into the still roaring fire. "Thank you."

"Try to eat and drink." The Doctor had dig her food supplies and water from her bag and handed them to her. Then he pulled out his own from his pockets, and sank down next to her.

They ate in silence. Rose chewed slow and gently to avoid aching her nose, and the Doctor was staring at the fire. The quiet felt odd, after such a long and loud fight for their lives. "What is this room anyways?" She asked. The kitchen and the bathroom had been hers. The bedroom had obviously been his.

"My study." The Doctor gave a testy smile. "On the TARDIS. I haven't used it much, since the War started." His voice sounded like he was lost in thought. "Or maybe I have, but can't remember."

"What war?" She knew instantly, by the way he tensed, that it was not a subject to broach. "I wish I knew how long we had."

"About sixty five hours, maybe a bit less." The Doctor sighed. He closed his eyes and his lips thinned in concentration. "Sixty four hours and forty-seven minutes. If the gas did only have us out an hour."

Rose nearly choked on her water. How had he done that. There were no clocks, no way to measure time. Even the one on her mobile was stuck at all zeroes. "How did you-" she started to ask.

"Time Lord, remember?" The Doctor shrugged as if that were and explanation. He must have seen her confusion, because he launched into a spiel about how his people had the ability to sense and see time and events.

"Okay." Rose gave a shaky laugh. Her head spun, overloaded by their torture and this new information. She couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by the facts that she had learned. Why had a nine-hundred year old, gorgeous, brilliant, Lord of Time invite her along? She was just a shop girl from the estates. She hadn't finished school, and barely managed to keep herself together. "Why me?" She muttered aloud without realizing.

"Why you what?" The Doctor was shoving his water bottle away. His cool blue eyes found hers, as he leaned back and threaded his fingers through hers.

"Why did you ask me along?" Rose whispered, looking down at how tiny and fragile her hand looked in his. "'M just.... nothing special. Just a shop girl."

"I don't know why I asked you along the first time." The Doctor squeezed her fingers. "But, I'm sure it's because you're clever, brave, and selfless." His thumb ghosted over her knuckles. "And for some reason, I can't figure out, you make me better." His eyes never left hers, and the sincerity in them made her cheeks flush.

Rose looked down at her now stained and ripped jeans. The man was obviously insane. She wasn't any of those things. Something cold and thin settled around her neck, and the key he had taken dropped into sight on her chest. She felt him lift her hair behind her neck, and the chain tickled as it settled on her neck.

"That belongs to you." He explained. "If you want it." His eyes seemed a bit hesitant, as if afraid she'd refuse.

Rose's heart did a flip, and she brought a hand up to touch the key. "I do." She replied without hesitation. It felt right, the slight weight against her sternum. She lifted the key to her lips and kissed it.

The Doctor gave a contented hum, then his head jerked as if he heard a noise. He released her hand to cross the room and push at a bare panel of wall. It slid back, revealing the bathroom that had been left behind. "Ladies first." The Doctor grinned. Rose rushed to her feet. A shower was just what she needed.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Rose was sleeping again, even though she'd been awake less than ten hours. When she had emerged from the bathroom, shivering because there was only cold water, she had slid her sweaty, bloody, shirt and jeans back on. The Doctor had felt a bit of guilt, as his clothes had escaped relatively unscathed. After all, he didn't sweat the way humans did.

So, he had stripped his jumper off, leaving himself with a thin undershirt, and passed it over to her. Rose had ducked back into the bathroom to change, and came back out wearing only that. The rich emerald green wool hung down to the middle of her thighs, making her fair skin seem even paler. She had washed her clothes, it seemed, in the bath tub, and had spread them out to dry by the fire while he ducked inside to rinse off himself.

The Doctor knew he was brooding, sitting in the plush leather chair that Susan had loved curling up in to read. Yet, his mind was even more of a scattered mess than usual, so he had an excuse. Rose had kissed him, and that simple touch had been enough to slam the Storm back into its cage. It wasn't right, and it wasn't possible. He was forty-five times her age. If a Time Lord his age had attempted to engage in a relationship with another of her age, it would have been a scandal to rock the entire Council. Yet, here he was, feeling her soft fingers wrap around his hearts.

He knew this shouldn't be allowed to happen, because her life was so short. Then again, there was every possibility that in sixty-two hours they may not have each other or lives at all. So, if he was honest with himself, his life may end just as swiftly as hers.

He twirled the sonic in his fingers, the urge to do something besides sit and wait was gnawing at him. There was nothing to do though. Rose shivered, giving a little exhale as her bare legs slid across the leather cushion. The Doctor shrugged off his coat, which he had slipped back on to cover his bare arms, and crossed the small space to drape it over her legs.

He paused a moment to inhale and taste the air around here. Even though she had scrubbed herself clean, her skin and hair still held just a hint of the TARDIS to it. The sharp ting of the artron energy calmed him some, the smell of home. The Doctor hoped, if they did fail, that Jack knew what to do with the TARDIS. It killed him to think that she may fall into the wrong hands.

"Shhhh." Rose mumbled, shifting a bit. "'M tryin' to sleep.

The Doctor started at her words. He hadn't been talking out loud. His eyes drifted down to find that his fingers had laced through hers without realizing it. He had been projecting into her relaxed mind. He slipped his hand free. "Sorry." He whispered, and shot back to his chair.

He didn't need to sleep, but a little meditation would help to ease his worries and re-establish his mental barriers. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and began reciting poetry to empty his thoughts. He felt himself relax more than he had since he woke up, and gave over to the thoughtlessness of his subconscious.

It had been another four and a half hours, when the sound of feet on the floor drew him back to himself. Rose was scooping her now dry clothes up and slipping into the bathroom. When she emerged again, dressed, combed, and smiling, she handed him back his jumper.

"I had the strangest dream." Rose yawned, bending down to tie her shoes.

"What was that then?" The Doctor avoided her eyes, wondering just how much of his thoughts he had accidentally let through.

"We were standing next to this big blue police box, like from back in the day." She shook her head. "And you were asking the man from the video, Jack, if he knew what to do with it if we didn't come back." She rolled her neck and sighed. "Weird huh?"

He groaned. Not only was it a clear violation of privacy to touch her mind like that, but it was even worse to not confess it. The Doctor grabbed one of her remaining three bags of food and passed it to her. "Sit, I have something to tell you." He ran a hand through his short hair, and leaned against the mantelpiece. Embarrassment coursed through him.

Rose arched an eyebrow and flopped down on the sofa and open her food. "Did I miss something when I was out?"

"No." He stared down at the flames. "I'm sure, before this happened, I told you I'm a touch telepath. You wouldn't have remembered."

Rose made a choking noise and he looked over in concern. She was coughing and waving a hand in front of her face. "Telepath? Like mind reader?"

"Sort of, yeah." The Doctor pushed away to go sit by her. "Normally, I would have blocks up, but this memory wipe thing has messed with my mind." He pulled the sonic out and fiddled with it, unable to meet her eyes. It had been unintentional, but still a gross violation of her inner sanctum. "Last night, you were shivering, and I covered you up. When I touched you, I was worrying if I had taught Jack the emergency protocols to get the TARDIS to safety."

"No, you said that out loud." Rose shook her head. "I heard you..." Her jaw dropped, and those dazzling eyes went wide. "Wait, that was in my mind?!"

"'M sorry." The Doctor blushed in contrition, glancing up at her. "It's okay if you're angry. Most people would be."

" Was an accident, yeah?" Rose offered him a forgiving smile, and he nodded wordlessly. "Accidents happen, Doctor."

"I'll be more careful. I spent the rest of your sleep cycle meditating and putting my barriers in place." He explained, her easy acceptance of this side of him putting his worry to rear. Rose giggled a bit. "What?"

"If you were thinking about your ship, why did I see an old blue police box." She was pulling apart a banana peel as she asked. "Shouldn't I have seen your ship instead."

The Doctor felt his face break into a proud but affectionate grin. "That was the TARDIS. Blimey I miss her." He did feel the absence of her ever present hum of engines and song of her sentience in his mind. It was like part of his soul was missing.

"Your ship, is a little wooden box?" Rose arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Wouldn't it get, like, ripped apart on take off or something?"

"The Police Box look is a cloaking device." He chuckled at the memory, oh so long ago. "I landed in the 1960s in London, very rough landing mind you, and she cloaked herself like that. The circuit got stuck, and now she looks that way all the time."

"But how do three of us live in a box?" Rose's mind was going into over drive. He could tell by the way her brow furrowed, making three adorable creases in her skin.

"It's bigger on the inside." The Doctor beamed at her. "You'll see."

"Promise?" Rose's forehead smoothed out, and she gave a small hopeful grin.

"Gave you a key, didn't I?" The Doctor winked as her hand flew to her chest and she nodded. "Then consider that your promise, Rose Tyler." Her face lit up like the twin suns of his planet.

Now that that was out of the way, he dug out his own food and wolfed it down. Rose was reorganizing her bag, and ducked out to refill her water container. When she came back, she was frowning again. "Doctor, d'ya think we passed the test downstairs."

He had been hoping she'd avoid that question, because he honestly didn't know. "'M going to be the optimist for the change." He let out a breath, because optimism wasn't something he'd felt for a long time. "And guess we did."

Rose forced a smile that looked more like she was about to be sick than anything else. As she looked over at their crawl space, her breathing became quicker. Her fists clenched into her jeans, and she shook her head.

"What is it?" He pushed himself up and hurried to stand in front of her. "What's the matter?"

When those whiskey colored eyes met his, she said two words that he had known, but she hadn't admitted yet. "I'm afraid." Her voice was a whisper.

The Doctor felt his hearts clench. She had held up so well so far, keeping her fear in check. He briefly wondered if she feared seeing that man again, Jimmy Stone. He had wanted to ask who he was, but he wasn't sure how to broach the topic. "I am too."

"Not of the test, Doctor." She murmured, looking down at her trainers. "I know we can't remember anything from before, but I'm afraid to lose you." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "I know, but I don't know how I know, that you're really special to me. I don't wanna lose that, ever.

The admission was like a splash of water on his face. Their fears were identical. "Have you read the texts on your phone?" Well that wasn't how he meant for that to come out.

"No, went dead when I was in the shower." Her eyebrow arched in confusion. "Why?"

"Because, if you had, you'd know that... well." That what, Doctor? That you kept her at arms length, obviously wrapped around her pretty little fingers, but refused to admit it to her. He warred with himself mentally. There was no guaranteeing they'd make it through this, or if they'd get to keep these memories. Even if they did, what if he remembered why he kept her at a distance. Yet, he was feeling reckless. He felt alive. He felt young. "High council can't judge me anymore, can they?" He murmured under his breath and pushed her firmly against the wall.

Rose gave a squeak of surprise, but he silenced the noise with his lips. She tasted like the air in the TARDIS library, bananas, and bubblegum toothpaste. Her bottom lip fit so perfectly between his, and her hair was soft as he threaded his fingers through the strands to cup the side of her neck.

This was a stupid idea, but he didn't care. It felt good, perfect even, the way she slid her hands up his jumper to pull him closer. Their tongues brushed, as their lips parted, and danced together. The Doctor wanted to savor this, the tiny breathy moans of happiness she was making each time they broke apart, the way her curves felt as his hands trailed down to grip her waist, the way her fingers danced in the short hairs at the nape of his neck, but the clock was ticking.

He pulled back, when she winced as their noses brushed. He had forgotten about her injury in the heat of the moment. So lost in thought as he had been, he had completely overlooked her bruised and swollen nose and black eye. "Sorry." He whispered, planting a gentle kiss to her brow. "Forgot."

"Worth it." Rose breathed, her eyes fluttering open. She slid her hands down his chest and smoothed out his jumper, then adjusted the front of his jacket. "So worth it."

"Ready?" He wasn't, even though he had to act like he was. This was it for them, the final test. Everything was at stake, and he didn't think he could bear it if they failed. He stepped back and picked up her bag to hand it to her.

"If you are." Rose replied taking it and sliding her arms through the straps.

"Not in the least bit." The Doctor flashed her his bravest smile. Admission for an admission seemed fair.

"Well, then, better get moving before we are." Rose gestured to the opened grating. The Doctor took one last look around, snd then crawled inside.

As they moved, he wondered exactly what thoughts were in Rose's mind, but he didn't ask. He reached the ladder and pulled himself up onto the rungs. He heard her follow after. The climb up did not take long at all, less than ten rungs, before the Doctor pulled himself up onto a landing.

There was a door here, with two scanners. The third helix reader was on the right, and a thumb print scanner on the left. "On three?" He asked, reaching out his palm.

"One." Rose extended her thumb.

"Two." The Doctor let his hand over over the panel.

Their eyes met, in the dim light of the sonic and panels. This was it. The moment of truth, quite literally.

"Three." Rose pressed her thumb down, as the panel beeped under the Doctor's palm.

"Access granted." The door slid wide, bathing them both in blinding lights. The Doctor raised one arm up to shade his eyes, and he felt Rose turn her face into his side. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they stepped forward into the room. The door slid shut behind them with a sound of finality.

The room looked empty except for glow orbs dangling from cords across the ceiling. The orbs were slowly dimming to normal, creating an atmosphere similar to that of hospital waiting room. Even the smell of antiseptic and latex were heavy in the air. On the far wall was a mirror, a single reflective pane that stretched from ceiling to floor. The mirror reflected the room back to them, except it was different. The reflection showed what looked like a a mesh of workshop, library, and laboratory.

"Guess we know what truth in the looking glass means." Rose murmured, clutching his arm tightly.

The Doctor felt muscles tense as he looked at their reflections standing side by side. He silently swore to himself and her, that nothing would make that image fade away. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I know drawing it out makes it worth it......

A knock drew his attention from where he was fiddling under the console, making the repairs that they had stopped to pick up parts for. Jack stood, brushing his hands on his pants, and pulled his shirt back on. He crossed the grating to the door and pulled it open.

Aliandré, the lawyer assigned to the Doctor and Rose, was standing outside the door. Her translucent wings shimmered as she looked back over her shoulder. The citadel sparkled in the evening light. "They just entered their first trial. You've been permitted to watch from my office."

"How bad is it? Honestly?" Jack pulled the door closed behind him and locked it. He rubbed his head gingerly, where one of the prosecutors men had slammed his rifle into it for throwing out such an easy clue.

"I don't know." Aliandré shook her silver hair and frowned. "The prosecution presents the tests, and the jury judges the performance and results." She lifted off the ground a few centimeters as her wings flexed in the breeze.

Jack followed behind her, his mind reeling. He had tried to research the trials, but none were ever identical. "You still can't tell me what they did?" He asked, as he followed her to the bubble shaped lift and they glided upwards.

"Not unless I want to end up on trial myself." Her pink, almond shaped eyes turned down in the corners, but didn't detract from the loveliness of her young face.

"Thank you." Jack patted her arm softly. "For stepping up for them. When they make it through, I'll make sure your fees are paid."

"I told you, no charge." Her porcelain skin flushed a lovely ebony on the delicate bones of her face. "I need the experience, Captain."

He bit back the insinuation that came reflexively to his tongue. It showed how much he'd grown as a person in the three months since he stepped into the TARDIS. "The Doctor and Rose will insist, believe me."

"You have a lot of faith in them, Captain." The bubble lift doors retracted in on themselves, and they headed down to the tiny office of the courthouse.

"They have more in me, I think." He stepped inside and settled into a chair. The wall behind her desk lit up, showing an empty concrete room illuminated by ceiling lights and filled with silver goo..

Rose had just pulled ahead of the Doctor, her face sullen and more empty than he ever had seen. The Doctor was spinning slowly, his sonic extended, but then he hurried after Rose. Jack watched as he snatched her arm and began to whisper furiously to her.

"The nightmare trial." Aliandré groaned, as she sat down next to him. "This." She breathed out an melodious sigh. "This trial hasn't been used in nearly a century."

"What is it?" He glanced between her and the screen. They were just walking, circling the room, crossing and moving they couldn't see what was in front of them.

"We can see them, but the device they were implanted with is blocking the lights." She was worrying her diamond colored nail with her teeth. "The biomass, it's connecting to the implants, and will start morphing to pull images with their greatest fears and nightmares. If they can realize it is all fake, the trial is over. The longer it takes, the worse it gets."

Jack bit back a growl, resting his arms on his knees. "Can these these nightmares hurt them?" He watched as the biomass formed a dome straight ahead and shot out a laser. The Doctor tackled Rose down into the muck, curving his body over her protectively. "Nevermind."

"I'm sorry." Aliandré turned her face away from the screen. "I didn't realize it would be this." She peeked out through her fingers. "If I had, I wouldn't have brought you to watch."

"I can handle it." Jack slicked a hand through his hair, and then reached over to pat her delicate shoulder. "You can go work, I'll stay here."

"I don't have any other cases." She admitted, cheeks turning a mahogany color. "They're my first clients."

"Well shit." He let his fingers trail down her arms, making her shiver a bit. He focused his attention back to the screen, mostly his friends trudging aimlessly around in the goo. Then they stepped into a door that had formed out of the biomass. They were walking around the three walled room, then suddenly running. The walls moved with them.

Jack saw strange man looking robots forming from the gunk, and one snatched Rose and pulled her under. The Doctor was standing alone, screaming inaudibly out at the room, and surged forward. "Can't we get audio?!" He surged to his feet, rushing to touch the screen. "She'll drown!"

The lawyer shook her head. "Only the jury can, and yes, she might." He saw her swallow, her eyes wide and afraid. "I'm so, so sorry Captain. Wait! Look!"

Another room formed, a wall separating the Doctor from Rose, who was sprawled, coughing, on a faux floor. Two men appeared, each one attacking his friends. Rose was getting it the worst. The Doctor was holding his own. It was an strange Juxtaposition, seeing the Doctor give into his anger, and Rose cower as the man hit her. Usually Rose was the first to dish out a slap, and the Doctor was the calm one who preferred to avoid physical conflict. Jack realized he was seeing the pair as they were before they met.

Suddenly, Rose stopped moving. Jack worried she was dead. She was so limp snd still. "I think she's got it." Aliandré jumped up, and he focused back on the screen.

The blonde man beating Rose was melting away, and she was pushing herself onto her hands and knees. She was pulling at the Doctor, holding his face, trying to get him to stop his assault on the man in the robes, Robes similar to the one Jack had found in the wardrobe once. Then, in a move that he did not see coming, she grabbed the Doctor's face and planted a kiss on him that make Jack whoop out loud. "You go Rosie!" He punched the air and scooped Aliandré up to press a kiss to her cheek. "It's about time she planted one on that uptight grump!" The goo drained away, leaving the pair clinging to each other

"So they aren't married?" She gasped.

Jack set her down and laughed. "Are you kidding me? I've been trying to get them to open up to each other for months." Aliandré's face pinched tight with worry. The screen had gone blank, now that the trial was over. He had already been told that only the guards could view them in their cells. "Thank you, for letting me watch this." He brushed her chin under his thumb.

"How's your head?" She reached up with a silken finger to touch the bump under his hair. "The guard was punished, you know. The guns were supposed to just give a sense of urgency to them."

"Eh, it's just a bump." Jack felt elated. He knew the Doctor and Rose would pull through. Now he didn't have the same amount of worry, because he knew the Doctor would force Rose to rest or sleep. It was how he was, even with Jack, run then ragged then force them to rest. His giddiness and excitement curled his lips up. "Especially, since you did such a good job tending to it." He pulled Aliandré close, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Captain." Her brown blush was spreading along her opaque skin. "You're a client." She whispered, as if afraid someone would overhear.

"No i'm not." He brushed her hair back from her eyes with his lips. "They are."

"Same thing." She gasped, her fingers clutching at his shirt.

"No, it's not." He chuckled, ghosting his lips over hers.

"This is so unethical." Her apple flavored breath broke over his lips, but she relaxed into his chest. Jack walked her back to the couch, coaxing her lips apart with his tongue. It was time to celebrate two victories. The first trial was done, and Rose had finally snogged the Doctor.


	9. Chapter 9

"No, more to the left." Rose called over her shoulder to the Doctor, who was trying to navigate his way back towards a table. "You're other left." His blue eyes blazed at her in the reflection, but he adjusted his bearings. "Now straight ahead, mind your knee!" There was a thud as he collided with a bench in front of the work table. He gasped out a word she couldn't comprehend and glowered. "Now reach out, just there..."

The worktable shimmered into existence, as soon has his fingers touched it. "Aha!" The Doctor broke into a grin but his fingers lifted and the table vanished from view and repositioned itself in the room. Before she could warn him, he reached out again and stumbled as his arm slid through empty air. Rose bit back a giggle as he waved his arms to steady himself.

"Are you laughin' at me?" He spun around, crossing his arms. Rose bit her lip and held her breath, while shaking her head. "You try it then!" He snapped, prowling back over to the mirror.

She headed over towards the direction the worktable had gone, moving slowly. "Right or left." She called.

"Left." She turned a bit as he called out the directions. "Bit more, now right ahead." Rose felt the bench bump her knee, and she lifted her foot to untie her trainers. "What are you doing?" The Doctor queried.

"Watch!" She kicked them off and pulled her socks off as well. Then she stepped up on the bench, which didn't become visible. "How high?!" She called back, staring up the empty air.

"Just a bit, now forward." The Doctor was watching her in the mirror, his hands reaching towards the glass as if he could balance her reflection. Rose's foot touched the cold metal, and the table materialized. She grinned and climbed up to sit on top. Her skin kept contact with the table, and she saw the Doctor shake his head.

"Tada!" She threw her arms out like she'd just landed a difficult move in gymnastics.

The Doctor spun and navigated his way over. "You think you're so impressive." He grumbled, poking her in the ribs, as his other fingers fumbled across the desk and then pulled back. A rubics cube type puzzle materialized.

"I am impressive." Rose giggled as she smiled, and leaned forward to look at the shimmering block of squares.

"Not like this though." The Doctor's fingers were a blur, and the puzzle was solved in a blink. The top row whirred, and then rolled back to reveal a shiny silver key. He pulled it out and waved it in her face.

"Show off." She grumbled, shifting on the uncomfortably cold metal. "Does it match anything here?" She looked over at the mirror, trying to analyze if any of the invisible boxes on the table had a matching key hole. The Doctor began fumbling for items, and she helped. Some items materialized when they touched together, others when he touched or she touched. None of the globes, jars, or boxes fit the key.

This was the game they had been playing for nearly an hour. It was hard work trying to pinpoint which objects would appear for who. Lucky for them, the Doctor's outstanding memory had been perfect for keeping track. The cube puzzle had been the first thing they found, so far, that didn't require a key or a combination. "Hang on." The Doctor handed her the key, but it went invisible again.

Rose sat tight, watching as he stared at the mirror then wandered over to the bookshelf and pulled out a book. It didn't materialize in his hand, but he ran a thumb over the cover. "What is it?" She wanted to move, but he wanted this table visible. The Doctor hurried over passing her the book. As she took it, the cover sparkled into existence, bound shut by a clasp with a silver lock. There was no title. "Here." She handed him the key so he could see how to fit it in.

The Doctor unlocked the clasp, and Rose turned to the title page. "Little Red Riding Hood?" He chuckled. "Must be from your memories then."

"It is, see." She pointed to the loopy writing on the inside of the cover. "For my Rose, be strong, be brave, and don't be scared of the Big Bad Wolf. Love, Daddy." She felt her chest tighten. It was the one thing she had kept from her childhood, the only thing with her dad's writing. He had bought it for her the day she was born.

"I bet he misses you." The Doctor's voice was soft, as he turned the page looking for another code or key.

"Nah." Rose sniffed and wanted to wipe her eyes, but they were still too sore to touch. "He died when I was a baby." Something caught her eye, on the picture of the wolf. "Look!" She licked her thumb and rubbed, causing some paint to wash away. Underneath, in gold ink was a series of symbols.

"Rose Tyler." The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulder and kissed her cheek. "You're fantastic!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the table. They went like that, bouncing from mirror to shelf to box to mirror to test tube, until Their throats were dry and their stomachs were empty. It had taken them the better part of three hours to decipher and open about half of the puzzles.

They took a break, sitting against the mirror, while Rose rested her head against the Doctor's chest and finished her last bit of food. "Doctor?" A question had been buzzing around her brain. "Is life with you always like this?"

"Like what?" He finished his water and looked down at her.

"Dangerous, life risking, and fighting our way out of prison?" She didn't mind. It definitely beat organizing shelves and dealing with rude customers.

"No." The Doctor's grin was infectious. "I can show you so many things? There's planets with nothing but the finest luxury spas, or systems dedicated to the most realistic entertainment possible." He tightened the arm that was around her waist. "I can show you the birth of stars or the day the Earth dies. How about Asgard? I can take you to the meadows, or we can visit the armory and you can see the-."

Rose couldn't help the bubble of laughter that interrupted him. "Asgard? Like Thor and Odin?" He arched an eyebrow at her, his blue eyes shining promises untold. "Oh, come off it. They're just stories."

"You silly humans." The Doctor chuckled, and it vibrated against her hair. "Many of the old mythologies are based on alien visitors."

"Then let's finish up, and we can get out of here!" Rose wiped a bit of fruit nectar from his lip and sucked it off her thumb. She didn't miss the way his eyes darkened at the gesture, and a warm pleasant feeling settled in her stomach.

They set their last bottle of water aside and went back to their task. The final puzzles and codes were harder, often taking both of them working in unison to get a lock undone or a code put into place. By the end of the sixth hour, they were left with only a slip of paper containing a formula that only she could read four tubes of liquid that only he could keep visible, a mold shaped like a gem that only stayed visible when Rose's left hand, and a box with a resting place for the gem they had to make.

The Doctor was hesitant to mix the liquids, as he had informed her that each could burn through her skin in an instant. "Just do it." She clutched the paper in one hand and the mold in the other. "Thirteen milliliters of the bronami-" she stumbled over the complicated word. "Bronamilanibacide." He tipped the purple liquid carefully into the mold. "Now, six of the egaxilatium." This time the black liquid went in, and the mold began to heat up in her palm.

Rose forced herself to ignore it, focusing on the next word. "Okay, now the strantiabac-hmm-bacillium?" She asked the name, making sure she pronounced it right. "Eighteen millimeters." The Doctor poured that in, and the mold grew hotter and heavier. "Finally, the carbonmonipropial, twelve milliliters." The clear liquid went in, and he tossed the vials aside.

"Let me help." The Doctor slid his chilly palm under hers, easing the burning sensation of the mold. They stared as the liquid bubbled, rolled, and then began to congeal and harden. A beautiful lavender gem was sparkling up at them.

The Doctor pried the gem out with a finger, and settled it into the lid of the box. With a twist, the clasp popped free and he pulled open the lid. Inside was a note, a startlingly beautiful ring with diamonds and sapphires set in a gold band decorated with intricate swirls, another thin hard drive, and a vial of yellow opaque liquid.

Rose let the mold drop to the floor, and they moved over to the mirror together where they knew the floor was clear of their discarded puzzles. The Doctor pulled out the note and the ring, but Rose picked up the vial and thumb drive. His voice was flat as he read it out.

"The time for riddles is in the past, as you stand before the looking glass. Behold your crimes, the lies you told, before your future can unfold. The final choice is yours to make, to confirm or deny your verbal mistake." He paused, and the way the emotion drained from his face made the fear well up in her chest again. "The Doctor's voice and Rose's hand, interfered with the laws of the land. So claim what's yours, if your stake is true. The answer must come from her and not you."

Rose stared down at the the thumbdrive in her hand. "Wasn't there a slot up there?" She pointed to the mirror above his head, and he took the thumb drive from her.

"I'm not sure I like the way that sounded." The Doctor nodded to the note he had let drop the the floor. "Are you sure you want to see what we did?"

That was a heavy question. What laws had they violated so severely to make them end up here? What question must she answer that the Doctor couldn't? She didn't know anything about alien laws, he did. Didn't it make more sense for him to answer? Rose drew a breath and slid her hand into his, pressing the vial between their palms. "Do it." She murmured, fighting back the dread.

The Doctor reached up and slid the thumb drive into the slot. The mirror fuzzed up, like a television with bad reception, and then a video began to play. The audio echoed around them from the walls.

-/-/-/  
A tall, humanoid man with flowing teal hair and haughty purple eyes strode down the street. He wore shining golden robes, adorned with glistening gems and shimmering metals. His wings were the color of the setting sun, and they glittered as the breeze of his movement touched the feathers. A trio of what looked like guards, armed with black swords and red armor followed at a pace behind him. He stopped, before a woman brushing what looked like a horse, but with a flaming mane and hooves of ice. "Well, hello lovely lady."

"Hello, my Prince." She curtsied low, her plain white robes rustling as she curtsied. Her wings folded around her body, blocking her from view.

"Now now." He touched her shoulder lightly, and smiled. It wasn't a warm, kind type of smile. It was full of greed and cold desire. "Do not cover up that lovely face."

The woman stood, her wings coming back around to settle against her back. "What service may I be, your Highness?"

"How old are you? What is your name?" He gestured to a the guards, and they walked around behind her.

"Seventeen ring cycles." The woman's wings twitched as prince reached up to stroke her face with a jeweled finger. Her translucent skin darkened to a chestnut color along her neck. "Ylara, is my name, if it pleases your Highness." Her pink hair swished as she turned her face from his touch.

"Oh it does please me." The Prince snapped his fingers at a guard. "Take her to the palace. Get her out of these peasant robes and into something more suitable for one of my wives." The woman jerked at the word, trying to pull away from the guard who had taken her arm. "The yellow moonsilk, would suit her best."

"Your Highness, please!" The woman's entire skin turned an alarming green color as she struggled. "I am already promised! Please!"

"Yes, you are promised to me, Ylara." The Prince's cold smile never faltered, and he reached out to take her right hand. There was a green metal ring on it, and he slid it off to toss it to the ground. "Something so lovely and fragile belongs in the palace, not out here in the filfth."

"No!" Ylara tried to pull away again, red liquid pouring down her face. She was crying.

"Let her go!" Rose's voice echoed out, and blonde hair and a jean jacket came into view. She shoved at the guard, knocking him aside and positioned herself in Ylara's spot. "She said no!"

The Prince's hand came up, as if to deliver a slap, but Rose struck first. Her palm collided with the man's proud face, sending him sprawling backwards. "Seize her!" Two guards grabbed her by the arms, and she fought against them, spitting in their faces. "Well, well, well." The Prince stood, touching his lip where silver liquid glistened. "This one has fire." His smile was back, only now glinting with lethal glee. "Bit too human for my normal tastes, but I shall enjoy breaking her spirit. Take her!"

"She is mine!" The Doctor's voice thundered out, possessive, authoritative, and final. "Let my wife go!" He stormed into view, sonic in hand aimed at the Prince.

"Yeah!" Rose kicked back at the guards, her thin soled trainers doing little to their armor. "My husband is not one to be trifled with."

"She lies." The guard to her left sneered from under his helmet. "I see her mind. They are not wed."

"You stay out of her head!" The Doctor's voice was barely controlled. "She is mine."

"I see no ring." The Prince cocked an eyebrow, then leaned forward to brush Rose's cheek with a thumb, and then licked it. "Your mark is not in her skin. You have not claimed her."

"The ring is here." The Doctor produced a red box, and inside was the same ring that was in the room. "I have not yet claimed her, because we wed this morning on her homeworld. We came here to celebrate our joining."

"The punishment for lying to royalty is death. Kill him, take her." The Prince shrugged as if none of them bothered him. One of the guards drew a sword and rounded on the Doctor.

"No!" Rose screamed, yanking at her captors. "Don't you touch him! Don't you dare!"

"Wait!" A voice made them all turn. A young woman had pushed forward through the crowd that had formed and stood with her back to the Doctor. "Your Highness." She dipped low, before straightening, her pink eyes a bit terrified. "Royal statute four thousand, section eighty-two, sub title one states that if an off worlder violates the honesty law, they have the right to trial. If they pass the tests, then their statements are deemed honest by the gods."

The crowd began to murmur their approval of this new womans bravery, but the Prince laughed. "They do not have representation to claim this trial."

"I'll represent them." The woman produced a silver badge that the Prince examined. The crowd was growing restless, louder, demanding the trial.

"Fine." The Prince hissed, glowering hatefully at the Doctor. "Take them to the courthouse!" He barked at the guards.

The one on Rose's right yanked her hard by the hair, dragging her along. The other two jumped onto the Doctor, tackling him to the dirt. "There's a blue box outside of the city!" The Doctor shouted as they cuffed him and dragged him away. "Jack is in there! He's our friend! Get him!" The woman, their self appointed lawyer, turned on her heel and flew down the road.

-/-/-/

The mirror went blank again, and Rose felt her knees go a bit weak. She leaned on the Doctor's arm. "We're married?" She breathed, unsure of how she felt about that. The Doctor was staring at her, down at the ring in his hand, and again at her eyes. Then she remembered when he asked if she had read her texts. "Is that what you found in my phone?"

He swallowed audibly, his eyes searching hers, and he cleared his throat. "May I show you what I saw?" He released her hand and brushed a thumb along her temple. "So you know I'm not lying." It was Rose's turn to swallow, and she wondered briefly if telepathy would hurt.

"Yes." She whispered and closed her eyes Almost instantly, an image poured into her mind, along with a soft caress than warmed her to her toes. It must be his mind. Rose could see the Doctor's thumb on the buttons of her mobile, a text message on the screen.

Jack: Where are you two? We were supposed to meet back at the TARDIS an hour ago. I'll only forgive you two if you finally managed to kiss. Seriously, Rosie, one of you has to make a move, because the tension is getting unbearable.

The image and caress faded, leaving Rose far more confused and feeling suddenly abandoned. "We aren't married?" She wasn't sure why it felt like her heart had just been ripped from her chest, but it did. The Doctor looked like he just wanted to run, and he didn't take her hand when she reached for it.

 


	10. Chapter 10

The Doctor felt the ring in his finger. He had known since reading the messages that he and Rose had been dancing around their feelings, but he had no explanation for why this beautiful ring in his hand had been in his pocket. He also had no explanation as to why her name was etched into the white metal in Gallifreyan.

He could see the emotions swirling in Rose's eyes, feel her fingers trying to take purchase in his grip. He had feared something like this would happen. She had no idea what he was, a murderer, the bane of Gallifrey, the Bringer of Darkness, and the Oncoming Storm. Letting himself pretend to be the good guy, her hero even, had set him up for pain.

The Doctor realized, as he looked down at the ring again, that he had been hoping to find the end of his life here. That these last few days of isolation with someone so unmarred by the evils he had committed would be how it all stopped. Her innocence was so bright, and it had pushed his darkness away. Now it was all crashing down. He didn't truly know Rose, but he knew that crimes prevented him from deserving her love.

A voice echoed from the walls again, making him jump and Rose yelp. She pressed into his arms, almost reflexively as if it was the safest place in the universe she could be. "Now you know the truth." It was a woman's voice, prim and sharp. "My son would have you dead, Doctor, and Rose bound to him as a childgiver. I, however, abide by the laws of the land."

"What is your judgment, Your Grace?" The Doctor kept his voice as respectful and polite as possible, knowing that one wrong move could result in a fate worth than death for his Rose.

"The jury has reached an impasse. You, Doctor, failed the first test. Your anger blinded you to the truth around you. Without Rose, you'd have perished in the battle with your demons." The Queen's voice paused. "You, Rose, did made many mistakes on the puzzles around you. Without the Doctor, you'd never have figured out the correct measurements for the gemstone." Again, there was a pause. "So now you have two choices. The vial contains the serum to deactivate your neck implants and release your memories, however, you will not retain any you gained here. You will both fall asleep and be transported to your ship."

The Doctor felt Rose tense in his arms, her fingers pressing the vial against his jumper. He would have given his remaining regenerations willingly to know what she was thinking at that moment.

"Or, you can choose to keep the memories you both developed here, marry in accordance to our laws, and be escorted to your ship. In twenty hours time, your implants will become permanent, and you will forsake all memories you had of your life before you woke up. Doctor, you may ask Rose what her choice is, but the final decision must be hers and hers alone. You cannot choose opposite paths."

The silence was deafening, and Rose looked shellshocked. The Doctor was furious. "You can't do this to her!" He shouted at the ceiling. "She's innocent! I'm the one who lied. She just wanted to help!"

"Doctor, please." He felt her hands pulling at his coat. "We have to choose. Tell me what to choose." The Doctor looked down into those eyes, so earnest, afraid, and strong all at once.

"I don't know." He admitted. When her lower lip dropped a little in shock, it took everything in his power to not kiss that fear from her eyes. "It's my fault you're here in the first place. I should never have brought you here." The guilt was heavy in his chest. He wanted to be selfish, to be safe, to regain his memories and not have to worry about tainting that innocent light in her smile.

"I'm the one who slapped the Prince." Rose quipped. "You said there are rules, and obviously I wandered off. It's my fault for interfering." She wasn't allowed to feel guilty. The Doctor was at fault for this, for so many things. He couldn't let her feel even the slightest bit of remorse.

As she looked down at the vial in her hand, her hair shifted, and he glimpsed the injection site. An idea came to mind, both defiant of the Prince they had angered and the demons he had encountered downstairs that still tortured his conscience. and he quickly turned his thoughts to Gallifreyan, just in case the device was monitoring his inner dialogue. He would not let Rose lose any of it, the past or the present. "Do you trust me?"

Rose's eyes spoke the words before she did. "With my life." That was all he needed to hear, but it was still ultimately her decision.

"We need to talk before I ask, so you understand what you're choosing." He gestured to where her knapsack lay forgotten. She lowered herself to the floor, and he sat across from her. It was now or never. "The War, you asked. Well, I ended it. You have to understand, that if I didn't, all of reality would have burned."

Rose's eyes narrowed in confusion, but she nodded, clutching the vial like it was a laugh saving antidote.

"My people were at war with a race called the Daleks. They were fighting all scross time and space. Planets were burning, history was crumbling in on itself, and entire galaxies vanished in the bloodshed. I was there, on the front lines, watching it go on, taking part in it going on." The Doctor could see it all: Skaro Moon aflame as the Armies of Gallifrey marched head long into a legion of Daleks, dead bodies of innocent children on the plains of Amontri before his unit was transported off the planet to escape an invasion of Daleks, families vanishing from existence because grandparents died before they ever met, and finally the worst part of it all. The cold eyes of Rassilon as he made the announcement of ascension were etched forever in the Doctor's memories.

"What did you do?" Rose wasn't accusing, no. Her soft voice was concerned, and her fingers were wrapped around his. The heavy guilt eased under her touch, like his body was used to her fighting away his nightmares. How did this tiny little human have the ability to do that?

"I blew up my planet. The whole thing, gone in a ball of fire and rocks. It wiped out the Daleks as well." He wasn't sure if the admission made the guilt worse or less, but it definitely made it all that more real. "I'm the last of my kind. There's no one else."

"There's me." Rose squeezed his hand, trying to catch his eyes. The Doctor was both thrilled and afraid of that response. "But why do I need to know all of this. I'm sure when I get my memories back, you'll have told me." So she thought that was his question.

"Because." The Doctor almost faltered, revealing his plan, but he was a good actor. "I've seen enough on your phone to know that I kept you at arms length. Yet, I still had this in my pocket." He opened his palm to show her the ring. "A ring, with your name in the language of my people. If we have to choose, Rose, the real choice is this. Do we go back to a life where we dance around how we feel, and I'm probably too much of a coward to tell you, or do we go from here, with this?"

He leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to hers. He didn't want to risk agitating the injuries to her face. Rose gave that surprised gasp again, reaching up to cup his face and pull him closer. The Doctor didn't press for access, but let her feel his consciousness brush against her mind, a silent request. She granted him access, and he sent her a reassuring wave to really, truly trust him.

Rose pulled away, her neck and chest flushing as she searched his eyes for some clue to his plan, but the Doctor kept his thoughts firmly in his native tongue. Nobody could translate it, not even these people. "Before I asked, I wanted you to know the blood that's on my hands." The Doctor held out the ring. "Could you marry someone who destroyed all of his own kind?" There it was, the choice.

She glanced down at the ring, drew a breath, and shook her head. "No, Doctor." His hearts sank, the plan unraveling before his eyes. She didn't trust him. "But I could marry a man who saved the universe." She held out her left hand and the Doctor felt relief flood into his veins. He slid the ring onto her finger, and it fit perfectly in place. Rose giggled. "My mum is probably going to slap you for this.

The Doctor stood, pulling Rose to her feet and holding her close. He hoped with everything he had that he hadn't made the wrong decision. "I'm sure she'll understand." He thought briefly of the way Rose had slapped him in the kitchen, and hoped that her mum wasn't as vicious.

The mirror slid open, revealing a hall with two women waiting. "Come with us, please." Their wings rustled as they turned and walked away.

The Doctor held Rose firmly to his side, refusing to let anybody think they could get in between them again. The walk was short, and they came out into what appeared to be a judge's chambers. The man from the video, Jack, and the woman who had been their lawyer were waiting, along with an aged man in long ceremonial robes.

"Doctor! Rose!" Jack surged forward, trying to pull her from the Doctor's side for a hug. Rose curled herself back into the Doctor, more out of reflex than fear. He knew she remembered Jack was a friend. "Oh no, you didn't." Jack's eyes flashed to the ring on Her finger.

"Hands off." The Doctor gave him a warning look, hoping he'd get the other message he was trying to convey with his eyes. He reached up with one hand to stroke Rose's injection mark.   
  
The Time Agents blue eyes went wide for a second, then he smiled. "Well, I guess if I have to choose between the unresolved sexual tension or you two having to remember me all over again, I'll pick the latter." He clapped his hands. "This is Aliandré, your lawyer. I already made sure she was thoroughly compensated for her time.

The young woman gave a quick bow, her translucent face flushing ebony at Jack's words. "Yes, um, the Captain was quite generous with his payment. Although, I did offer my services for free."

"Thank you for stepping in." Rose finally spoke, hugging the woman tightly. "I'm glad someone had the courage to do something."

The man in the ceremonial robes coughed. "I was told to complete the handfasting ceremony immediately. Reunions can be made when you get back to your ship."

"Speaking of my ship," The Doctor chuckled inwardly at the deviousness of his plan, which Jack seemed to have immediately picked up on. "Captain, could you bring her here. My wife to be is exhausted, and I dot want her anymore stressed than she is." Jack nodded and turned to walk away. "Don't forget any supplies we may need." He called after him. "I'm sure you'll remember what I forgot."

"I'll grab them on the way in!" Jack called back before sprinting away.

"Miss Aliandré, you will be witness then?" The man pulled a strip of cloth from his sleeves and approached Rose and the Doctor. "Doctor, take."

"Her left hand in my right." The Doctor cut in, meeting Rose's eyes. They narrowed in confusion, but he gave her a comforting smile. "Handfastings are the way of my people as well." He explained. She nodded, and slid her palm into his grip.

The man laced the cloth around their wrists, tying it into a loose knot."Do you, Doctor, take this woman to be bound to your soul? Do you promise to love her, protect her, and do no harm to her, so long as you have breath in your lungs?"

The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand softly, listening hard for the sound of the TARDIS, but there was only silence. "I do."

"Do you, Rose, accept this man to be bound to your soul, to stand by him, and keep his honor so long as you have breath in your lungs?"

Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand just as tenderly. "I do." Those two words weren't real, he knew, just her putting trust in him to keep her safe and keep his promises.

"Then, by the laws of the land and the laws of the gods. You are wed in the ways of our lands." The man unbound their wrists and pointed to a sheet of paper. Aliandré was already signing it, and she passed the pen to the Doctor.

He paused, looking down at where his name should go. It would be so easy to simply sign his chosen one, but he circled out his true name before he could think. Nobody would ever decipher it, not even the Daleks had managed to translate their script. Rose signed her name as well, and the man rolled up the paper. "The claiming chambers are through those doors. There will be clean clothes, a place to wash, and other such appropriate accommodations.

This made the Doctor freeze. Claiming? He had to claim her now? This was not in his plans. Step A, get Rose out with their current memories, Step B, get to TARDIS. There was no option for what was brought now.

"Doctor." Rose pulled at his hand. "What's claiming?" She looked like she knew, the way her neck was flushing adorably. "Is it?"

The Doctor arched an eyebrow at her instead of responding. He felt the TARDIS hum merge with his mind. They were in the medical wing of the courthouse, just like he hoped Jack would understand.

Suddenly, Rose gave a gasp and she pressed her palm to her head. "What's that singing? 'S beautiful." She murmured.

"Ah, I see the gods were right." Aliandré cut in, ushering them towards the door to the claiming chambers. "Already, they bless your union with the song of grace." She opened the door for them and whispered. "Your ship does have a lovely song." Then shut the door behind them.

"What does she mean?" Rose was still rubbing her temples lightly. "That singing, it's the TARDIS?"

The hum was growing stronger as the TARDIS link with his mind intensified. It filled the aching gaps in his mind, soothing away what pains and fears Rose's touches had not. "She's sentient, telepathic like me. She's just excited to feel you again." He explained. His old girl was excited to feel them both.

"Doctor." Rose was staring around the room. There was a bed, a pile of soft white robes, and a small waterfall of steaming water in the corner. "'M gonna go rinse off before we." She gestured to the bed and tried to pull away from his hand.

The Doctor was about to stop her, but then he caught sight of the cameras in the corner. "Wait." He pulled her back to him, as the TARDIS informed him they were on their way. "I didn't get to kiss the bride." He pulled her tightly to him again, scooping her up into his arms as befitting her status as bride, and pressed his lips to hers. The key around her neck burned soothingly through his jumper as their clothes ruffled with the whoosing wind of the TARDIS' arrival.

Rose broke the kiss to gasp in shock as the console room slowly materialized around them, becoming more and more corporeal with each passing moment. The cloister bell sounded deep inside of the TARDIS, and the view screen lit up with the sound of cheers. The lights flickered and flashed, and the bells and whistles on the control panel went mad with noise. She was heralding her thief's return with a welcome fit for a king.

"Vortex, now!" The Doctor barked at Jack, already sprinting for the infirmary. Rose was weightless in his arms.

"What's going on?!" She yelped, as his boots skidded on the slick hall tiles as the TARDIS jerked into flight. Where are we?"

"Welcome to the TARDIS." He laughed, racing the lights overhead to the door to the sickbay. They flew open as he rushed in, and he settled Rose onto a bed. "I'd explain it to you, but you're about to remember."

"How?" Rose looked around the room, as the Doctor rushed to prep an IV, anesthesia, and his surgical tools. "We didn't drink their serum."

"Screw their serum, and screw their stupid judgement." He growled. "I'm taking that implant out of you now." He pushed the tray over to the bed. "Then I'll tend to your injuries." He pushed her jacket off her left arm, and hooked up the blood pressure and vitals monitor. Instantly, it programed to her body. So this wasn't the first time she'd needed to be patched up.

"But if you touch it, they'll shock me." Rose slapped her right hand over the bump in her neck, shrinking away from him.

"I'd like to see them try to get a signal in here." He laughed, the thrill of winning too hard to suppress. "There's enough shielding around my ship to keep out an entire fleet of Cybermen, and believe me, that's saying something." The Doctor turned to where she was curled up on the bed, knees to her chest. "You trusted me this far, Rose. Just trust me a bit farther."

He could see the hesitation warring in her eyes, but then she nodded. He laid her back on the sheets, wiped her elbow clean with antiseptic, and then started the IV. Then, before she could ask what was next, he pushed the plunger on the anesthesia. By the time he counted to three, her vitals showed he was asleep.

"You need this?" Jack's voice made him turn. He was holding up a crystalline device that was blinking green. "I saw them use this to activate the devices in your neck before the trial. Aliandré said they will deactivate them too." His eyes glanced to Rose with worry. "How'd you know I'd understand your message?"

"I read the messages on Rose's phone, between you two." The Doctor admitted, instantly knowing once he regained his memories he'd probably regret that. "You always seem to know what I'm thinking when it comes to her." He took the device and placed it against Rose's neck, then he pressed the button translating as deactivation. It gave a beep, and then announced the deactivation complete.

"Let me do yours now, Doc." Jack stepped closer, hand extended.

"After I take this one out of Rose's neck and get her washed up." He brushed Jacks hands away and picked up a scalpel. "Then you can take out mine." He bent over Rose's neck and set her mind free.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry so short. Have to runnerrands but wanted to update! Thanks for the comments and the kudos! I love you all!

_Rose inched her way into the dark storage room. She clutched the bag of lottery money in her hand. Something was making noise, and she stepped further into the shadows. Then, the mannequins were surrounding her, wordlessly raising their arms. She was going to die here, alone, in the basement of Henriks, the victim of possessed dummies. A cold hand closed around hers, and the bluest eyes shone in the dark. "Run." The man said. She ran, and his hand was always in hers and they did._

_"I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one." The Earth was dead, and they were chased by gas ghosts, green creatures with long claws, and gas mask zombies calling for their mummy._

_Yet, there was also worlds so lovely they took her breath away. A shining pyramid glistened in a double sunned sky, and the Doctor made a silly face while she posed for a picture. A breathtaking ball room, filled with elf like creatures in stunning gowns and robes made of vines and leaves dance around her, and the Doctor dipped Rose low as Jack winked at her from the arms of a King._

_The Doctor looked uncomfortable, sitting at her mum's table sipping his tea, but his hand clutched hers under the table and she squeezed it. His smile was infectious. "Jump!" He laughed, standing on the shore of a lake with water so clear she could the millions of gemstones at the bottom. Then Jack whooped out a laugh behind her and ran past, yanking her arm and pulling her off of the cliff. She laughed as she fell, but when she surfaced and opened her eyes, she was in the Doctor's study._

_He pushed her against the wall and kissed her. Rose felt her heart soar. She clung to him, relishing in the sincerity of his touch. She had dreamed of this for months, for him to finally make the move that proved what Jack said._

_"Could you marry someone who destroyed his own kind?" A ring glittered in the Doctor's fingers, and Rose held out her hand._

_"I do." She whispered, seeing nothing but the shining of his eyes. They were sad, dark, and heavy like when she'd stood between him and the Dalek. A worried, lyricless song whispered in the night, and the flashing images melted away._

Rose expected to open her eyes to the fireplace, as she had the last two times she slept, but room around her was dark. She shifted, hesitant to touch her face, but the bruisings were gone and no pain radiated out. Relief like nothing she'd ever felt flooded through her. She was safe, on the TARDIS. Judging by the soft vibrations instead of jerky movements, they were in the Vortex and not in flight. The TARDIS was fussing at her mind, little trills and hums of anxiety. She wanted to make sure her human was okay. Rose let the joy of being back wash through her, pushing it towards the TARDIS' presence. She was home.

The final moments of their adventure came screeching back to her. She had married the Doctor. For a moment, she was thrilled, but then she remembered the way he'd stared at her during their ceremony. It was just to save her life, nothing more. Still, she had the memories of their time, of their stolen kisses. It would take a while for things to return to normal, because she knew he would never have done any of those things unless it was to save her.

Rose wanted to go find him, to hug him properly, with all of her memories, like they would after such an adventure. She reached over to fumble for the lamp on the side table, but the table wasn't there. She frowned for a moment, then realized she was probably still in the infirmary. The switch for the overhead lights would be dangling from the other rail. So she rolled over, reaching for it, but her fingers met chilly, smooth, and firm skin. She froze, and sent a silent plea to the TARDIS to raise the lights just a bit.

The Doctor was laying on his back. One of his arms was resting over his eyes, and the other was tucked under the pillow she had been laying on. He was shirtless, a black sheet with silver threads pulled up to his ribs, and that same sheet was draped across Rose. Her stomach did a flip flop. She urged the TARDIS to dim the lights as soon as he shifted his head. She wasn't in her bedroom or the infirmary. This must be the Doctor's room, but she was never allowed inside before.

Rose wanted to savor the moment, how it felt to be curled up beside him in his bed, but she knew he probably brought her in here before his memories returned. It be wrong to take advantage of that, so she drew a deep breath and sat up to slide out from under the sheet. She padded her way across the room, to wear she had glimpsed the door, and slipped into the hall.

She was still drowsy, probably the effects of the medication and the stress of the last few days, but she needed a hot shower and something to eat first. Rose noticed she was in pajamas, her favorite pink flannel ones that her mum had given her last Christmas, and her skin had been washed off. Her hair felt greasy and stiff though.

She ducked into her room, breathing in the familiar smell of the warm ocean breeze the TARDIS pumped in through atmospheric controls. In the corner heating shelf, where the TARDIS often delivered her midnight snacks, sat what looked like a big bowl of chowder and a glass of her favorite white wine from the planet Minadriun.

"Thank you, Girl." Rose patted her wall and crossed to the food. It felt heavenly in her aching stomach, warming her from the inside out with each bite. When the bowl was empty, and the wine drained, she stepped into the massive ensuite and into her luxurious shower. The hot water felt amazing, washing away the icky feeling that had been making her feel so foreign in her own skin. She took her time, letting her conditioner soak in her hair as she shaved her legs to silken smoothness.

Her reflection in the mirror, as she combed her hair was startling. Her nose and eyes were healed, but there were still dark circles of exhaustion underneath. Her face was thinner, and a step on the scale confirmed she had lost weight on her meager diet of jerky, fruit, and stale bread. Rose knew the Doctor would fix that up fast, probably whisking her away to some pleasure planet to make up for this harrowing event.

With the feeling of safety and security of being home in her chest, Rose curled under her down comforter and snuggled into her pillow. The ring on her finger glittered in the dimming lights, and she stared at it for a moment. It wasn't hers, wasn't real. She slid it off of her finger and placed it on the side table. It hurt her heart, but she didn't want to live a lie either. This time, her sleep was deep, restful, and dreamless.

Someone was singing, the rich, soft voice drawing her back to consciousness. Rose's bedroom lights were on, soft yellow for the start of her wake cycle, and the feeling of something chilly stroking her knuckles made her turn her head and blink.

The Doctor was sitting in a chair, wearing a navy jumper, and holding her hand. He was murmuring under his breath in Gallifreyan, his eyes tight with worry and concern. They softened a bit, and his song came to an end as he met her eyes. "Do you know where you are? How you got here?"

"My bedroom on the TARDIS." Rose smiled, fighting back a yawn and squeezing her hand. His eyes never left her face, and she squeezed his hand. "You took my hand and told me to run. Then you blew up my job, and we haven't stopped running."

"Rose." The Doctor's entire body relaxed. "It worked. I didn't know if it would. I had to try." He reached out to push her hair back and glance at her neck. "No scarring either." He mused. "The dermal regenerator did a good job." He let her hair fall back and released her hand. The loss of his touch felt wrong.

Rose pushed up to sit, and she ran a hand through her hair looking around. The smell of bacon and eggs drew her attention to the tray on the side table. "Breakfast." She kicked the blanket aside and took the tray as he handed it to her. She was starving, even though she had eaten before falling asleep.

The Doctor leaned back in the chair, his normal chuckle of amusement at the way she ate was absent. He looked like he wanted to ask her something else, but was holding his tongue for once. "Fancy a trip to your mum's?" He finally asked.

Rose almost choked on her bacon. "Like this." She gestured at her noticeably thinner body. "She'll slap you into next week."

"Point taken." The Doctor chuckled. "How about Atropicus V then, a whole day at the best spa in the galaxy, the works?" There it was, him trying to make things up to her in his own way.

Rose didn't want any of that though. Honestly, all she wanted was to pull him into her bed and feel his lips and fingers on her the way he had before. She forced a smile and nodded. "Sounds perfect. We could all use a break."

"Get dressed." He scooped up her tray and stood. He paused at the door and turned. "Welcome back." He grinned, making her stomach flutter like always, and disappeared.

Rose hurried to her closet, where the TARDIS kept most of her every day clothes, and slipped on a powder blue sundress and sandals. She scrubbed her teeth, pulled on a pair of sandals, and combed her hair up into a messy bun. A knock drew her attention, and she hurried back out into the main portion of her bedroom. "Come in." Jack peeked into the room, and his face lit up at the sight of her. "Jack!" Rose dashed across the room to throw her arms around him.

"Look who remembers me!" He laughed, squeezing her tightly and picking her up to rock her back and forth. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." She giggled. Oh, it felt good to feel him squeeze her tight. The Doctor was her favorite person, but Jack came in at a solid second. She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "We're going to Atropicus V." She informed him. "Maybe you'll get to see that masseuse you had last time."

"Here's hoping." Jack laughed and set her down. He held her at arms length. "And I'm sure after that, the Doctor will insist on taking us to that restaurant on Nalbaron. Come on." He snagged her hand and pulled her into the hall.

When they got to the console room, they both froze. The Doctor had changed out of his ever present jumpers, dark jeans, and leather jacket. In their place was khaki pants and a maroon linen shirt that buttoned up the. His boots were still there, much to Rose's amusement. He looked absolutely delicious.

"Well look who discovered his own wardrobe." Jack laughed and clapped his shoulder. "Lovin' the look Doc."

"Shut up Jack." The Doctor shrugged his hand off, but smiled at Rose. He gestured at his outfit, and she bit her lip. "Figured I'd blend in with the locals."

"Since when?" Rose laughed, coming over to stand by him as he powered the TARDIS down.

"Since I want to make sure you don't have to worry about us getting into trouble." He shrugged. "All parked, and I already checked us in. Come on, stop standing there gawking."

Jack gave Rose a look that said h thought the Doctor might need a brain scan. Rose shrugged to tell him she had no idea what was going on. Then they followed him down the ramp and into the finest spa for lightyears around. The pampering had Rose feeling almost as relaxed and content as when the Doctor had kissed her in the claiming room, almost.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here there be smut

If Rose noticed the Doctor was being more hovering than usual, she didn't say. He was conflicted, because one part of him, the part that had been in control since they first met, wanted to throw those walls back up. The other part wanted to brush his lips against her temple or pull her into his arms and taste her kiss. Still, he had kept his distance.

Rose was the one who had taken the ring off. He had intentionally left it on, hoping she'd keep it. Yet, it still sat untouched on her bedside table, in the exact position she had left it. He knew, because he saw it every night when he couldn't resist the urge to make sure she was still in her bed. If she had wanted it, she'd have kept it on.

The cables he was rebinding together sparked, making him hiss. The Doctor needed to focus on his work, so the repairs would be completed when everyone woke up. He sucked his thumb, where it burnt him and berated himself for being distracted. If he didn't clear his thoughts, he was going to do more damage than repairs. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he had tricked himself into thinking he smelled Rose's shampoo.

"Doctor." Her voice made him jerk, knocking his head on the panel as he stuck it out of the hole in the grating. Rose was standing there, in a thin white night gown, that in brighter lighting would have been sheer, and a short black satin dressing robe. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Rose. You alright?" The Doctor pulled himself up, wiping his hands in the rag sitting on the console. She didn't respond, just threw her arms around him. He relaxed, realizing it must have been a nightmare. Without thinking about it, he folded his arms around her and brushed a kiss into her hair. She stiffened in his arms and pulled back. Her eyes were shining in the low light of the time rotor, like little golden stars had been sprinkled in them. "What was the nightm-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, because Rose pulled him down by the collar of his jumper and kissed him fiercely. The Doctor was too far gone to resist, and tightened his fingers in the satin of her robe. Her fingers went up to stroke across his cheek, leaving warm tingles in their path. The bareness of her left hand made him pull back. That didn't stop her though, and he shivered as she trailed tender open mouthed kisses to his jaw. "Rose." Blimey, did he really sound that husky? "Stop."

She froze, pulling back and jerking away instantly. "'M sorry." She covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "I just thought." The rejection and shame in her tone made his hearts ache. "Just forget it." Rose spun and darted to the hall.

The Doctor chased after her, realizing how that must have seemed to her. He had just wanted to talk before anything went any further. "Wait!" He snagged her arm gently, pulling her to a stop. "You thought what?"

"It doesn't matter." Rose sniffed and wiped her eye, looking down to the left like she always did when she was upset. "It was just part of the plan, right?"

"What?" He knew what she was getting at, but wanted her to say it out loud.

"The kissing, the choices, the..." She waved her hand, as if it explained everything. "All of it, you just wanted me to trust you, let you get us out of there." She fiddled with the hem of her robe. "I should have just asked."

The Doctor's suspicions were confirmed. His actions over the last week since they had been back had gone unnoticed by her. He could easily let the old walls fall back into place now, or he could keep them down. "Is that why you took the ring off?" Rose's left hand twitched, and she clenched it before nodding. Oh, his silly little human was the one making this complicated this time. "Do you want to wear it?"

Her eyebrows shot up, and her eyes blew wide. "Doctor, I..."

The Doctor didn't let her finish. He cupped her cheek with a hand, and pressed his lips to hers. Rose's arms were around her neck, and he lifted her up in his arms. He didn't break away this time, and lightly touched her lower lip with his tongue, seeking permission to deepen the kiss. She sighed softly, lips parting, and their tongues danced. He wanted to take her to his room, but hers was closer and there was something in there he needed.

This was how their first kiss should have been, he realized. A happy thing, not the terror of the nightmare room. Rose's fingers were scratching gently at the short, sensitive hairs on the nape of his neck. He felt his body begin to react, and for the first time since he began to feel this way about her, the Doctor didn't fight it into check. He lowered her gently to the bed, which was askew from where she had kicked the blankets aside.

The ring sparkled on the small table, and he plucked it delicately to hold it up to her. "I had suspicions." He said slowly, letting the gems catch the light, and glanced back to where she was sitting, her face bright, lips glistening. "About why I had this in my pocket that day, but then I got my memories back." He swallowed hard, knowing there was no going back from this. "It was in case I ever thought I deserved you."

"You mean?" Rose flicked her eyes between the ring and his eyes. "You really want me?"

"I have, since Downing Street." The Doctor picked up her left hand, lowering the ring slowly. "But only if you want me, which I don't know why you would. I've done so many-"

"Yes, you daft man." Her exuberant laugh was like a balm to the shadows in her mind. The Doctor still didn't understand why she wanted him, but he wasn't going to object, not anymore. The ring sparkled delightfully against her skin.

He wasn't sure if he climbed onto the bed, or if she pulled him down, but his boots were off and her robe was somewhere across the end of the bed. Rose's skin tasted like sunshine, and her fingers against his abdomen as she pulled his shirt up sent tingles of electricity into his veins. The night gown proved difficult to remove, as he kept pressing her into the sheets while she tried to wriggle it off.

Rose gave a squeal of shock and delight, as the Doctor tore it down the center, slid it from her arms, and discarded it over his shoulder. She was bare underneath, and he wondered briefly if she had planned to take that kiss in the console room farther. It didn't matter now. She arched under him, as he captured one of her pert nipples between his lips and swirled his tongue around it. They were better than he had ever fantasized.

He felt her nails in his shoulders, as he switched to the other, nipping ever so lightly with his teeth. The way she mewled his name made his already growing response roar to life. The Doctor kicked off his trousers, taking the pants with them, and then they were skin on skin. Rose's flexible legs were around his waist, and he flexed his hips. Her soft curls were wet with arousal, deliciously hot against his cool length. "Need you." She whimpered, her teeth pulling at his earlobe. "Please."

The Doctor couldn't, not yet, he needed one final confirmation before he let himself jump. "I need to feel you." He murmured into her neck, raising his fingers to her face. "May I?"

"Always." Rose gasped, and her mind opened to him like sunrise, and he moved.

Their minds touched as he slid into her velvet heat. It was everything he'd needed to feel since this body was born. He moved inside of her, each thrust balanced by the merging of their minds. Rose's gasps of more, were accompanied by wordless confirmations of her love. He could feel her, in his thoughts and under his body. In perfect synchrony they moved together.

The Doctor tried to let her feel the words he couldn't say, and she took it all. He felt her tightening around him, driving him closer to his own release, and the ecstasy in her mind blazed brighter than a supernova. He trailed one hand down her body, finding the bud of nerves at her apex, and coaxed her closer to the edge. "Let me feel you." He murmured aloud against her lips, and stroked her consciousness with a warm tendril of his own pleasure. She exploded, and his mind was filled with the birth of a million stars. He reveled in it, the raw and pure beauty of her release. Rose's nails bit deliciously into his shoulders, and her body arched beneath him.

The Doctor felt his own completion growing, a tightening coil low in his body as he sank deeper inside of her. She urged him with her thoughts, pleading to feel him surrender to it. He was so close, and she tightened around him and pulled at his mind with a thought of his name. The tension snapped, and he held himself still inside of her. He felt his release empty, claiming her as his own. He felt her surprise as his pleasure poured into her mind, letting her experience what he had from her. She jerked under him, the fluttering of another climax rolling through her body.

Like they had always meant to be together, the Doctor felt their minds meld together, snapping into place like they were one. He gasped, sliding from her slick heat and pushed up to stare down at her.

Rose was preening, eyes closed, hair ruffled, and skin glowing below him. Red marks trailed down her neck and across her chest, and the Doctor could not only see, but feel the way the tingled on her skin. "Rose, open your eyes." He tried to keep his voice even, moving his hand from her face and her hip to rest on the pillow. Intentionally, he shifted so no bit of skin was touching.

"Mmmm" She breathed out a giggle, and those sultry eyes opened slowly. "That was amazing." She purred. "I never imagined."

 _Can you hear this?_ The Doctor arched an eyebrow at her, feeling his arms shaking as he waited.

"Yes, Doctor." She beamed up at him, her tongue dampening her bottom lip, and then it seemed she realized he hadn't moved his lips.

 _In here, sweetheart._ The Doctor reached up to tap his own temple.

 _But we aren't touching._ Rose's mental voice was colored in shock. _I thought we could only share thoughts when we were touching._

 _You're the one who wanted to marry a Time Lord._ He tried to keep the hesitancy from his thoughts as he continued. _I just wasn't expecting the bond to form so quickly._

Normally marriage bonds took years of daily mental sharing to form, and yet his little human had managed to ensnare him with their first true exchange.

"Your human?" Rose giggled and laced her arms around his neck. The Doctor felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment. "I like the sound of that."

"Do you?" He lowered himself back so they were flush together, then rolled so she was sprawled across his chest. She was stifling a yawn, and he shook his head in amusement. It was nearly three in the morning TARDIS time. "Sleep, Rose." He asked the TARDIS to lower the lights, and the room grew dark. The Doctor closed his eyes, letting his bkdy relax as he pulled the blankets up over them.

"Stay with me." Rose murmured, wriggling a warm leg between his and kissing his chest.

"You're the one who left my bed." The Doctor couldn't help but throw that out there. He had hoped that she would have been there when he woke up that morning. It had hurt more than he cared to admit when she wasn't. She slapped his chest lightly, making him laugh.

Now Rose was laughing too, but hers seemed to be a bit more devious. "So, how hard do you think mum is gonna slap you this time?"

"I'm assuming it would be rude to just not tell her." The Doctor offered the alternative. Rose smacked his chest again, and he snagged her hand to pull it to his lips. For the first time in as long as he could remember, the Doctor's dreams didn't contain fire. They held only Rose's gentle thoughts.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the fluff!

Jackie stumbled as she landed, and the strong arms of Jack steadied her. Her head spun, and she felt a bit nauseous. "Sorry, Jackie." He chuckled softly as he held her in place. "Vortex Manipulators can give you a bit of travel sickness."

"Now he tells me." Jackie huffed and looked around.

Captain Jack had popped into her kitchen this morning with a grin, wearing a pair of khaki pants tucked into shining knee high boots, a white linen shirt unbuttoned at the collarbone, and a cat ate the canary smile. Jackie had nearly thrown her coffee at him before she realized who he was. He hadn't explained, just told her to get a shower, fix her hair, and put on her best dress and shoes. Now she was standing on some planet in the back end of nowhere.

"Where are we?" She asked, spinning around as she took it in. Honestly, she had yet to leave Earth, and didn't see what Rose found so exhilarating about it. This place looked abandoned.

"Up this hill. Come on." Jack took her arm and led her up the stone oath carefully, and as she crested the hill her breath was gone.

Below them was a sprawling field, with green and golden grass waving in the warm breeze. Beyond the field was a water filled canyon, gaping wide and spanned by a brick bridge that glistened every color of the rainbow. Beyond that was a massive city, towers and turrets soaring up to pierce the sky. The horizon held what looked like planets and moons, dangerously close to this world. "'S beautiful."

"Welcome to Asgard." Jack took her arm again, helping her down the path into the field. All around them, flowers were blooming to life, turning the field into a meadow.

"Oh shut up." She slapped his arm, looking up to see if he was just trying to make feel her foolish. "You're serious?" She stared around. This was beyond anything she had ever comprehended.

Jack steered her to a smaller, more intimate, path edged by perfectly trimmed bushes with red and gold flowers. She was about to demand he tell her exactly what this was all about, when the curve in the path led them to a pavilion. "No slapping." Jack warned as she saw what was waiting for them. The pavilion was draped in swinging vines, dotted with pink and purple flowers. Off to the side was the TARDIS, sitting primly and shining like the Doctor had given her a wash. She didn't really see those things though. Her daughter's presence outshone it all.

Rose was wearing a trailing white dress. It clung to her torso, accentuating her curves and chest. Red and gold beading swirled the bodice in intricate circles, shimmering and glittering as she turned to smile at her mum. The neckline exposed her cleavage in a tasteful manner, but swooped up in an ombre to form a red collar that framed her jaw and and neck. The sleeves came down from the collar, sheer white, designed with scarlet lace flowers trimmed with gold. The skirt wasn't a poof, but it flowed softly as she moved, the white satin covered by more sheer tulle with gold and scarlet flowers and circle designs, and ended in a modest train in the back. Her hair was brushed up into a crown of curls, held in place by a simple gold circlet with star shaped rubies and sapphires. She was clinging to the Doctor's arm, and the git of an alien was grinning like an idiot.

He was in all black. His trousers were proper dress pants for once, but were a bit tighter than normal. His usual heavy boots had been replaced by knee high leather boots that had glistening silver buckles along the side. His wool jumper had been replaced by a black linen shirt tucked into the pants, but buttoned up to the neck. Over that, he wore a scarlet cloak held together at the chest by a gold chain. It swooped up into a high circular collar that seemed to be made of a pure gold. The hems of the cloak were the same gold, and the circular patterns were identical to the ones on Rose's dress.

Jackie felt her breath catch in her chest as she realized exactly what was going on. The beautiful ring on Rose's left hand was glinting at her a bold as brass. She opened her mouth to speak, but Rose released the Doctor's arm and practically glided to her for a hug. "Please don't be cross." Her daughter murmured in her ear. "I love him."

"He's nine hundred flippin years old, Rosie." Jackie pulled back to look at her daughters eyes. She had never seen them so full of love and happiness.

"I don't care about that." Rose took her hands and pulled them down. "Please, please just be happy for me."

Jackie looked past her daughter, her anger warring with the maternal instinct to see her only child happy. The Doctor was gazing at Rose's back like a love sick idiot. Then again, he always looked at her like that, even if they denied they were together. "You lied, Rose. You said you two weren't like that."

"We weren't, Mum." Rose shook her head, looking back at the Doctor. The man practically melted into a puddle at that. "Not until last month. Something happened, I'll tell you later, but we realized that we need each other." Those eyes, so like Pete's, were pleading with her.

"As long as he makes you happy." Jackie sighed and kissed her daughter's cheek. "And you have to have a proper wedding, on Earth, for your grandmum."

Rose nodded, her smile lighting up her eyes in a way Jackie had always hoped she'd see. "All you have to do is walk me up, and say that you consent and gladly give." She looped their arms together and turned so they were facing the pavilion.

Jackie had to admit, the Doctor cut a striking figure like that. He always held himself a bit arrogant, but this wasn't ego. She knew he was a Time Lord, and seeing him stand so stalwart and regal, she realized it wasn't just his race, it was his title. Jack had joined the Doctor, and was holding a strip of silk as blue as the ship.

She led her daughter the last distance to the pavilion, and held her left hand as they joined the men. The Doctor nodded at her, but his eyes never left Rose. It seemed that all he saw was her. That was what her daughter deserved, someone who would look at her like she was a goddess.

"Time." Jack began, his silken voice formal but gentle as he spoke. "It never stops, never ceases. It twists and folds, bends and binds. It weaves its way through everything, bringing life and death to any and all. Time has brought these two lives together, and time shall bind their hearts. The Lord Doctor, of the House Lungbarrow, the four hundred and seventh and the four hundred and ninth Lord President of Gallifrey." It didn't escape Jackie's attention that the Doctor shot Jack a withering look at that last part. The Captain continued with a small smirk, and Rose giggled beside her. "Has come forward to seek the consent of Lady Jacqueline Tyler of the Powell Estate for marriage to her only daughter, Lady Rose Tyler of the Powell Estate."

Jack turned to Jackie now, smiling gleefully at the ladies. Rose squeezed her mother's hand, and Jackie cleared he throat. She looked from Rose, to Jack, then to the Doctor. "I consent and gladly give." The Doctor's right hand came forward, and she moved Rose's left hand until it rested in his. Then she clasped her hands together as the pair raised the joined palms between them.

"Lord Doctor, do you pledge to love and honor the Lady Rose, to do her no harm, to cherish her, to harbor her mind in times of grief, and to uphold her honor when the trials of time do test it?" Jack looked at the Doctor expectantly, pausing his hand with the blue ribbon against his wrist.

"I do." The Doctor's voice was proud, but quivered with emotions. Jackie swore she saw a tear glisten in the corner of his eye, and it made her chest tighten. The stupid alien really did love her daughter. Jack looped the ribbon around his wrist three times, and then pulled it over to rest against Rose's skin.

"Lady Rose, do you pledge to love and honor the Lord Doctor, to do him no harm, to cherish him, to harbor his mind in times of grief, and to uphold his honor when the trials of time do test it?"

Tears were running down her daughter's cheeks now, and Jackie felt her own grow wet as her daughter spoke the two words. "I do." The Captain bound Rose's wrist three times, and then weaved the ribbon in a solid circle around their clasped fingers.

"By binding your hands, you bind your hearts and minds. This pledge shall be recognized by any and all species both past and future. Together you have joined, and together you shall remain, until the final death takes you in her arms, as she must do to all." He stepped back and bowed low at the waist to them both before straightening. "You may now kiss your bride."

Jackie couldn't contain her sob of joy at such a beautiful ceremony, and when the Doctor pulled Rose to him, and kissed her with the softest most gentle passion, she knew that her daughter would always be safe. She had always been afraid that Rose's life with the Doctor would end in tragedy, but now she had his promise that he would do anything to keep her safe. It would take some getting used to, a son in law far more ancient than she was, but as long as Rose was happy, that's all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rose's dress
> 
> https://goo.gl/images/ekUs2b


End file.
